ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — An Asheville man was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a 72-year-old man at an apartment complex last year.

Garland William Kuykendall Jr., 57, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the March 7, 2024, shooting at Compass Point Village apartments on Deaverview Road.

Buncombe County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Grant ordered Kuykendall to serve between 360 and 444 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

Police said officers responding to reports of gunfire found the victim, Robert Earl Griggs, dead in his apartment. Kuykendall was apprehended nearby. Officers noted what appeared to be dried blood on his hands and the knee of his pants at the time of his arrest.

Originally charged with first-degree murder, Kuykendall’s plea to a reduced charge allowed him to waive a jury trial, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He was taken into state custody immediately following the sentencing to begin serving his prison term.