Young man gets 30 years for killing father in Tennessee

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Court tile

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A young man has pleaded guilty to killing his father as jury selection was set to begin for his trial in East Tennessee.

The Greeneville Sun reports 18-year-old Zachary Thomas Blanchard was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Blanchard was 16 when police said he shot 36-year-old Robert J. Blanchard at their home in Greene County.

Police said he took his father's van, money, several guns and ammunition. He and three other teens were arrested after a 10-hour search in 2014 in South Carolina, where they were apparently headed for Myrtle Beach.

Blanchard was charged as an adult with first-degree murder. Police said the other teens joined him after the shooting. Their cases were handled in juvenile court.

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