Prosecutors said Nathaniel Dumas of Youngstown is no stranger to Ohio's prison system.
At 35, he has been there three times already, and he's on his way back there again.
Amid heavy security, Dumas was sentenced Friday afternoon to 28-years-to-life in prison for his role in a botched armed robbery at Galaxy Seafood last April in which one of his accomplices was killed. Dumas was found guilty Wednesday on charges of felony murder and aggravated robbery.
Dumas had been banned from the courtroom early in his trial because he was disruptive and was complaining about the makeup of the jury.
On Friday, Dumas claimed the judge denied him his rights by refusing to allow what he said was evidence that would have cleared him.
"If them DVDs would have been allowed to be played throughout my trial, my innocence would have been proven but ya'll hid the fact that he gave a whole different testimony on the DVD than what he gave on the stand," Dumas said.
Although Mahoning County Common Please Court Judge James Evans gave Dumas a 28-year-to-life sentence, the defendant said he will appeal, promising "I'll be back" before being taken out of the courtroom.
A second suspect in the case, James Thomas, 50, pleaded guilty last month to aggravated robbery and will be sentenced Monday.
Their accomplice, Warren V. Wright, 32, of Youngstown, was fatally shot that evening by a Youngstown police officer who was working security at the North Side restaurant.
