Teen who killed gay brother gets 20-40 years

A Hempfield, Pa., teenager convicted in July of killing his brother because he was gay was sentenced on Thursday to 20 to 40 years in prison, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Ian Bishop, 15, was convicted on July 14 of third-degree murder for fatally bludgeoning his brother Adam, 18, with a claw hammer and a club in the family's home in April 2002. Bishop will be the youngest convicted murderer in the state prison system. Prosecutor Patrick Noonan had sought a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a life sentence without parole. Defense attorney Tom Ceraso argued for acquittal, saying Adam Bishop started the fight and Ian Bishop acted in self-defense. The defense also suggested that another teenager was responsible. Ceraso also tried unsuccessfully to have the case tried in juvenile court. Bishop has been in the Westmoreland County Prison since his arrest just hours after his brother's killing.