Man, a killer at 11, sentenced in drug case

updated 5:38 p.m. ET Jan. 5, 2009

PONTIAC, Mich. - A man who spent his adolescent years in state custody for a slaying he committed at age 11 was sentenced Monday to four to 20 years in prison on a drug conviction.

Nathaniel Abraham, 22, pleaded guilty in November to a charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

"I'm not saying I'll never make a mistake again," Abraham told Oakland County Circuit Judge Daniel O'Brien during Monday morning's sentencing hearing. "Given the opportunity, I know I can be a success to the community."

When Abraham was 11 he fatally shot an 18-year-old man in October 1997. He was convicted in November 1999 of second-degree murder and sentenced to juvenile detention.

Abraham was released the day before his 21st birthday in January 2007.

He was arrested May 30 with 254 Ecstasy pills in a bag in his car's trunk. Pontiac undercover officers said they had caught him selling the drug at a gas station.

Defense attorney Byron Pitts said his client is sorry for what he's done. "He's going to have a long time to think about it," Pitts said.

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