Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A former Memphis, Tenn., police officer who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murdering a 30-year-old man while on duty has been sentenced to 38 years in prison.
Patric Ferguson, 34, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in August to federal civil rights, firearms, kidnapping and obstruction charges for the fatal shooting of Robert Howard.
"This defendant committed a premeditated murder while using his position as a police officer, not to protect the Memphis community, but to perpetrate this horrendous crime and shield himself from suspicion and liability," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said Monday in a statement.
"While no prison sentence can undo the defendant's heartless crimes, today's sentence holds the defendant accountable and sends a clear message that no one is above the law."
Related
