A man serving life for the 2012 killing of another man in a Lancaster city parking garage will not get a new sentence, a state appeals court has ruled.
Jose Lebron-Garcia requested that while filing for relief from his life sentence for killing Pablo Fuentes-Robles, who was shot while trying to separate feuding groups leaving a city bar.
Fuentes-Robles, 28, was among numerous people when he was shot multiple times inside the North Duke Street parking garage on June 17, 2012.
Lebron-Garcia, in exchange for Assistant District Attorney Mark Fetterman’s agreement to not seek a death sentence, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
In his request, Lebron-Garcia, now 28, claimed he did not know the life term meant no chance for parole.
The Pennsylvania State Superior Court denied that request, finding such an argument should have been made on Lebron-Garcia’s initial appeal, to the sentencing court.
Lancaster County Judge Howard Knisely denied Lebron-Garcia’s initial appeal.
Assistant District Attorney James Reeder handled the appeal for the Commonwealth.
Numerous witnesses identified Lebron-Garcia as the shooter that early morning inside the garage at 150 N. Duke St. Lebron-Garcia admitted in police interviews to firing shots.
He was taken into custody minutes after the shooting.
Lancaster city police Detective Roland Breault filed charges.
MEDIA CONTACT: Brett A. Hambright, 717-295-2041; bhambright@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @BrettHambright