Man gets life in prison for killing of Santa Fe prep star

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a Santa Fe High School star basketball player after a fight at a house party nearly two years ago has been sentenced to life in prison.

A New Mexico district court judge gave 18-year-old Estevan Montoya the maximum sentence Wednesday for the August 2020 killing of Fedonta “JB” White.

The judge said Montoya will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

Montoya was 16 at the time of the fatal shooting.

A jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, unlawful possession of a handgun by an underage person and negligent use of a deadly weapon.

White graduated from high school a year early and was recruited by multiple Division I college basketball programs. He was set to play for the New Mexico Lobos in the 2020-21 season.