A man identified as Austin Ford has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for his involvement in the murder of an 18-year-old teen from old Gwinnett County.
According to official sources, Austin Ford was given a 20-year prison term for his role in Tori Lang’s death. One important feature of his sentencing is that he will be prohibited from communicating with Lang’s family for the first 10 years.
Also read | Who is Antonio Armstrong Jr.? Son of ex-NFL player sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering parents
Who is Austin Ford?
Ford was found guilty of two counts of stealing by taking and one count of hiding another person’s death. He was named a suspect in April 2022, and his case saw two mistrials: the first one, in May, in which the court ruled that counts 1–5, and the second, in August, when the jury was still split 8–4, leaving the issue unresolved.
Despite this being Ford’s first criminal infraction, the prosecution asked for the maximum term of 30 years in jail, arguing that the seriousness of the crime called for the worst punishment. In the Yellow River Park in Gwinnett County, in the year 2021, Tori Lang’s body was found. Her burned-out automobile was discovered a few kilometers from the park, according to the police.
Despite the state’s argument, the court rejected a verdict of voluntary manslaughter due to inadequate evidence. “Two juries were unable to reach a verdict regarding felony murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony,” said Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson.
Also read | Nolan Smith among Eagles trio to suffer injury in preseason opener against Browns, return questionable
The main problem, according to Austin-Gatson, was that there was not enough proof to conclusively connect Ford to Lang’s passing. The defense made the claim that Lang had committed suicide, and the prosecution failed to disprove this claim. However, it’s crucial to emphasize that, contrary to what the court stated, the defense did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lang had in fact committed suicide.
