Today in Dauphin County Court Ronald Briley was handed a sentence of 35 years to life in prison for his role in the February 4, 1996 shooting of Chong Kwak. Kwak died on June 22, 2011 after lingering in a coma for over 15 years.
Briley is still serving a sentence of 20 to 41 years for aggravated assault and robbery. He will not be eligible for parole before August 18, 2034. He pleaded guilty to a murder charge in September. Briley, who was 14 years old at the time of the shooting, was ineligible for a mandatory life sentence because of the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama.
First Assistant District Attorney Fran Chardo noted the devastation caused to the Kwak family who watched him linger in a coma for 15 years, 4 months and 18 days.