FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – A 51-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to 80 years in prison for fatally shooting a man at the Fort Wayne Economy Inn last year.
BACKGROUND: Man facing murder charge after fatal morning shooting at Economy Inn
Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull ordered Archie Lee Whitest to serve 60 years for murder and an additional 20 years for using a gun in the slaying of Donald Charles Warren III on March 5, 2024.
Whitest claimed the crack cocaine he bought from Warren was “poison” so he went to confront him, court records say. Whitest claimed the victim answered the door holding a gun.
COURT DOCS: Man claims argument over drugs led to fatal Economy Inn shooting, affidavit says
The convicted killer told police he took the gun from Warren and shot him twice, then shot him in the head, court documents show. Whitest told police he wanted to make sure the victim was dead so he couldn’t “get to his arsenal.”
Police found no other weapons in Warren’s room.
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