Gunman In Murder Of Hadiya Pendleton To Be Sentenced
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The man convicted of gunning down 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton in 2013 will learn his fate in court on Monday, nearly six years after the honors student was slain on the South Side.
A Cook County judge will hand down the sentence for Micheail Ward, 24, who was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery last summer. Ward faces up to life in prison.
Getaway driver Kenneth Williams also was convicted last summer by a different jury, but his sentencing date has not yet been set.
Prosecutors said the two targeted Pendleton and her friends at Harsh Park on Jan. 29, 2013, thinking they were rival gang members.
The shooting happened about a mile away from former President Barack Obama's home in Kenwood, just days after Pendleton had performed in Obama's second inaugural parade.
Pendleton's slaying gained national outrage, sparked outrage in the community, and put the spotlight on Chicago's gun violence. Her parents went on to become anti-violence advocates.
City officials later renamed Buckthorn Playlot Park after Pendleton, to honor her life and memory.
