Daverrick Lash, the man who shot and killed William Howard Burton at Club Fly High on Cleveland's east side on January 30, 2015, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, according to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's office.
Officials reported a jury convicted Lash in February for the aggravated murder of Burton, 30. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Joan Synenberg sentenced Lash, 23, to life in prison. His first chance for parole will be after 31 years.
Eyewitnesses identified Lash as the man who shot Burton at least five times, officials said. During trial, the jury heard evidence that Lash had spit on the wall just before shooting Burton and his DNA was found on the wall where a spit stain had been swabbed by police on the night of the murder.
The prosecutor said Lash and Burton had a long history of bad blood.
“Just walking up and shooting a man in a crowded bar is about as cold-blooded and premeditated as you can get,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian Radigan, who represented the State of Ohio along with Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Maxwell Martin and Shannon Musson.
Club Fly High was closed by court order as a nuisance less than one month after Burton's murder, which was the second murder at the bar since 2013 and the latest in a string of violent incidents at the business, officials reported.
During the week of March 7, city officials agreed to allow the bar to reopen with restricted hours and added security precautions.
