Arkel Garcia committed murder to get a pair of Beats by Dre headphones.
He ended up fleeing empty-handed after shooting 21-year-old Christian Massey dead for refusing to give Garcia his headphones on an Overbrook street in November, 2013.
Now, Garcia has earned himself a sentence of life in prison without parole, prosecutors said.
Garcia, 21, was sentenced Thursday morning on second-degree murder charges for Massey’s fatal shooting Nov. 30.
Massey was fondly remembered as a ‘gentle giant’ by friends at Marple Newtown High School, which he graduated from in 2011. Massey was mentally challenged, had participated in the Special Olympics and aspired to become a nurse, a school counselor recalled at his funeral.
He also loved music and constantly wore his Beats by Dre headphones. He had just traded in an old pair for the newest model when Garcia confronted him and fatally shot him around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Garcia was arrested Dec. 10, 2013, the same day that a West Philadelphia church was packed for Massey’s funeral.
