Oklahoma Court Upholds Muskogee Teen's Life Sentence

An Oklahoma appeals court has upheld the life prison sentence of a 19-year-old Muskogee teen convicted of first-degree murder for the February 2010 shooting death of a 26-year-old man.

The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals handed down the decision Monday for Larondon Hembry Jr.

A McIntosh County jury convicted Hembry in April 2011 and recommended a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Hembry was convicted of killing Christopher Shade while they were parked in Shade's vehicle on the outskirts of Eufaula. Shade was shot twice in the head.

Muskogee Police say Hembry drove Shade's SUV to Muskogee with the victim's body still inside.

Police have said Hembry claimed the shooting was self-defense in a dispute over stereo equipment and money.

Hembry is currently housed at the Davis Correctional Center in Holdenville.

2/23/2010 Related Story: Muskogee Teen Arrested On First Degree Murder Complaint

The Associated Press contributed to this story.