Teenager who shot friend and posed for a selfie receives prison sentence

An 18-year-old Pennsylvania teenager is facing 15 to 30 years behind bars after shooting his friend, then posing for a selfie with the dying boy.

   

Maxwell Morton of Jeannette, Pennsylvania turns 19 this week, but is now facing a sentence of 15 to 30 years behind bars. Morton was convicted of third-degree murder in February 2015, after shooting his friend, Ryan Mangan, 16. The teenager then posed for a selfie with his friend as he lay dying.

Pennsylvania teenager not aware the handgun was loaded

Morton testified that he and his friend were playing with a handgun, which he believed wasn’t loaded. However when he pointed it at his friend and pulled the trigger, Mangan was shot and fatally wounded. As reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Morton said the reason he took the selfie was to document the accident and the teenager then said he was planning to kill himself. In court on Monday, he told the Westmoreland County Judge that while sorry isn’t enough, that is all he has to give. Morton went on to say that he doesn’t want to be remembered as a “savage,” but did admit the situation was “messed up.”

Jeannette 'selfie' killer gets prison sentence, reports @RichCholodofsky https://t.co/KIAHMN1hkO pic.twitter.com/sKalaNSlKX

— TribWestmoreland (@TribWestmoreCo) May 15, 2017

Pat Thomassey, Morton’s defense attorney, said during the trial that the shooting was accidental, saying the handgun used one was of several weapons Mangan had in his possession, which his parents reportedly did not know about. Thomassey said that was a factor in the accidental shooting. As reported by the New York Post, he went on to argue that this was “two kids” playing around with guns and said if his client had rather called 911 to report the incident, he most likely would not have faced charges.

Morton bragged about the shooting to a friend while playing online video games

While Morton and his lawyer had insisted the shooting incident was accidental, a teenager from Springville, Wisconsin testified in court that Morton bragged that same evening about the killing of his friend, while they were playing an online video game. Morton reportedly said he had “got his first body.” While the teenager believed he was being pranked, Morton later texted a link to a news item about the story and also posted the selfie on Snapchat.

Assistant District Attorney Tom Grace cited two previous convictions held by Morton for assault as a juvenile and a further violent incident that happened during Morton's incarceration for Mangan’s shooting. Grace is seeking a maximum prison sentence of up to 40 years.

News post: "Teen who took selfie with murdered friend learns fate" https://t.co/bbLWaT8aA0

— Major Victor Bravo (@Conservatexian) May 16, 2017

Taking a selfie instead of calling 911 ruined the teenager’s life

Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio noted Morton’s age and said that the fact the teenager took a selfie instead of calling authorities substantially altered the case. According to a forensic pathologist who testified during Monday’s trial, Mangan did not immediately die and would have survived if he had received the proper medical care after he was shot. Bilik-DeFazio told Morton that he looked like a “little boy”, pointing out that things would have been very different if he hadn’t taken the photograph. The judge added that no one could understand the though process behind taking the selfie.

Both teenagers were classmates and had attended Agape, an alternative school and day treatment center for trouble youth in the Jeannette school district.

Sources: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and New York Post