Teenager charged with killing Monessen football player takes plea deal

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- A teenager accused of shooting and killing a Monessen football player in 2022 has taken a plea deal.

The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office says Terry Newton pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a minor.

Newton was 16 years old in November of 2022 when police say he shot 16-year-old Amari Altomore in the chest on South 14th Street. Altomore died at the hospital. Newton was originally charged as an adult with criminal homicide.

The DA's office says the victim's family approved of Newton's deal, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.

After Altomore's death, the community poured out condolences for the family. They gathered to remember Altomore as an outstanding football player who loved his mother.

"He was just a good, little boy," family friend Erica Gettemy said at the scene of the shooting in 2022. "He was a Monessen Greyhound. He loved playing football. He was just a good guy. He was a good young man. He wasn't a troublemaker. He was all about his mom. He was all about doing what he needed to do for his mother."

No sentencing date is set yet.