A 32-year-old perpetrator has been sentenced to life imprisonment! In 2022, he fatally shot former NBA player Payne, claiming it was in self-defense.

On August 30th Beijing time, former NBA player Adrian Payne was fatally shot in 2022 while attempting to resolve a family conflict. Three years later, the judgment for the assailant has been formally revealed.

According to online prison records, 32-year-old Orlando resident Lawrence Dorethy received a life sentence for this murder. Court documents available online show that Dorethy was convicted on July 30th of second-degree murder with a weapon.

After his arrest in May 2022, Dorethy pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. He told police that he fired the gun in self-defense—claiming Payne threatened him and appeared to reach for a firearm.

According to court papers obtained by ESPN, 31-year-old Payne was shot dead on May 9, 2022, outside the townhouse complex where Dorethy lived in the Orlando area.

At the time, Payne was driving with his girlfriend to the complex to help her friend Tatiana Mesa mediate a family dispute; Payne had previous experience in similar mediation efforts.

Around 1:30 a.m. on the night of the incident, Dorethy returned home with his 10-year-old son from a Mother's Day celebration and said he saw Payne sitting in a car. Dorethy told authorities that Payne said to him, "Man, I'm going to get you," then reached for something—Dorethy claimed he believed it was a gun. Dorethy said he was frightened by Payne, who stood 6 feet 10 inches tall, so he went back inside to get a gun and then fired at Payne.

However, ESPN reported that no firearm was found inside Payne’s car. Witnesses told authorities a different story. One witness stated that Payne did not make any “threatening moves” toward Dorethy.

Video footage of the incident shows that before Dorethy fired, Payne’s girlfriend pleaded with Dorethy, saying, “Don’t pull the gun out” and “We were invited here.”

During the trial, Dorethy defended himself in court, saying he pulled the trigger out of concern for the safety of his son and the father who was giving them a ride home. In closing arguments, Dorethy’s lawyer argued that his client acted in self-defense to protect his “home,” and under Florida’s “castle doctrine,” the shooting should be considered lawful.

Adrian Payne was the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft. He played four seasons in the NBA, averaging 4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. The top pick of that draft was Andrew Wiggins.