Akron teen gets life in prison for 2021 fatal shooting

AKRON, Ohio — An 18-year-old Akron male received a life sentence Wednesday for fatally shooting a man in a home in 2021.

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison Breaux did rule that Jalen Butler will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years for the slaying of Steven Sitts, 48, of Akron. Butler was sentenced after pleading guilty on Jan. 23 to murder with a gun specification and tampering with evidence.

According to Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, Butler shot and killed Sitts on Oct. 2, 2021, following a dispute over a phone. Butler was 17 at the time of the shooting, authorities say.

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