As David Velazquez was sentenced for 40 years Thursday for gunning down Asael Wilson near the Illinois state line, none of Wilson’s family were in the courtroom.
They were “hesitant” to participate in the court case, Deputy Prosecutor Amy Pullen said. A brother said he might show.
That was unusually tragic, defense lawyer Susan Severtson later said.
Velazquez, 24, signed a plea deal in March for voluntary manslaughter and a gun enhancement. He got 30 years for voluntary manslaughter and a 10-year term on the enhancement – with seven years in prison and the last three on probation.
Indiana requires inmates to serve 75% of their sentence.
Wilson, 25, of Chicago, was riding his bike south from Chicago on May 25, 2021, to Indianapolis Boulevard in Hammond sometime after 7:30 p.m. when a man in the back seat of an aquamarine Honda Odyssey opened fire on him, according to an affidavit.
Wilson’s family told investigators he was developmentally disabled. Ballistics showed Velazquez fired the bullet that killed him.
Pullen said Velazquez didn’t have any other convictions. He joined a gang at 11, got kicked out of the house at 14. Severtson said at the hearing’s start that Velazquez hadn’t been a Spanish Vice Lords member in three years.
The case’s circumstances left her “overwhelmed with sadness,” Severtson said. The plea was “reasonable,” but “harsh,” later adding her client would have a “long and difficult road ahead.”
Velazquez apologized in court to Wilson’s family.
Judge Natalie Bokota noted Velazquez would be around 50 when he was released.
“It is a horrible tragedy,” she said. “But there’s always an opportunity for redemption and finding peace for yourself.”
The driver, Terrell Bradley, 36, is expected to be sentenced Friday.
Co-defendant Javier Mendez’s case is pending.
mcolias@post-trib.com