Syracuse, NY ― A jury deadlocked earlier this year on whether Vanico Spaights shot and killed another man five years ago.

Instead of risking another trial, both sides agreed Monday to a plea deal that will send Spaights to prison for 10 years, said prosecutor Michael Manfredi.

Spaights, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to illegal weapons possession in the December 2020 shooting death of A’salic Parham , 25, in the 600 block of Ballantyne Road on the city’s South Side.

Another defendant, Zaira Goodin, has long accused Spaights of being the actual shooter. Goodin pleaded guilty to murder in 2022, admitting she was the getaway driver. She agreed to testify against Spaights in exchange for a shorter prison sentence.

But a jury in April this year was not convinced by Goodin’s test

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