Monessen teen sentenced to prison in shooting death of friend

A Monessen teenager responsible for the November 2022 shooting death of a friend was sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to lesser charges earlier this year.

Terry Newton, 17, appeared in Westmoreland County Court and was sentenced by Judge Scott Mears to eight to 25 years in state prison in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Amari Altomore nearly two years ago.

Newton pleaded guilty on April 15 to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of possession of a firearm by a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping a criminal homicide charge against him.

Altomore was shot and killed on November 29, 2022, while he was reportedly playing video games with Newton in the defendant’s upstairs bedroom at his home in the 600 block of 14th Street in Monessen. Altomore left the home and was found lying on the porch of a home on nearby Reservoir Avenue before being taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he died the following day.

Newton fled the house and was not seen again for more than three weeks, until he turned himself in to authorities. His defense had previously argued that Newton and Altomore were friends and that the shooting was an accident.

Court documents indicate Newton has been held at the Lawrence County Jail since his arrest in December 2022. Newton will be on probation for one year after his release from prison. His attorney, Kenneth Noga, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Monessen police, Westmoreland County detectives and Westmoreland County sheriff's deputies.