TOLEDO, Ohio — A 21-year-old Detroit man who helped the state secure convictions in the Malachi Barnes murder case will spend 23 years in prison.
Andre White was sentenced Wednesday afternoon after taking a plea deal for lesser charges of complicity to involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault in the death of the three-year-old.
His defense attorney asked for 10 years, but Judge Gary Cook said that White knew the deadly shooting was going to happen and he could've removed himself from the situation at any point beforehand.
White openly apologized to the Barnes family who were sitting in the courtroom.
"I'm still wrong at the end of the day for getting in the car and going along with it. Being the oldest, I should've told them, 'that ain't cool, that ain't right.' You never know who could be in the car with us: a kid, or an older person dying. It's still not cool at the end of the day. I just still want to apologize because I know you're all still going through it," he said.
Malachi's mother, Christian and father, Anthony, told WTOL that they do forgive White. During her victim impact statement, Christian thanked White for testifying which lead to the conviction of Matthew Smith and K'veon Giles. She said that she doesn't hate White and prays for his salvation.
White was seen wiping his eyes with a tissue.
On the stand last week, White said he was with Giles and Smith the night of the drive-by shooting and the two defendants opened fire at Anthony Barnes' vehicle while it was driving north along I-75. Malachi died at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the head. White said Giles and Smith were hoping to kill someone else, but that person wasn't inside the vehicle.
White was also found guilty of second degree murder in Wayne County, Michigan of which he will be serving a 26 to 52 year sentence. He will serve his sentences consecutively.
Giles and Smith will be sentenced on March 23.