Convicted Murderer Gets Max Sentence

A local man convicted in the shooting death of a 26-year-old Cartersville resident was sentenced yesterday to prison for a long, long time.

Superior Court Judge David Smith handed Michael Morris Jr. a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Morris was convicted by a jury in August in the "murder of Joshua Moore and the armed and almost fatal assault on Dwayne Westbrooks, which followed his armed domestic violence assault of his former girlfriend, Cheryl Newborn," according to a press release issued by District Attorney Joe Campbell.

Morris claimed self defense in the August 2009 shooting at , according to . Morris and Westbrooks had resided in different apartments in the complex and a verbal argument among the men led to the shooting that night.

The sentencing is a first in the local court.

"For the malice murder of Joshua Moore, Judge Smith utilized for the first time in Bartow County the 2009 law providing that a judge has the authority to enter a sentence of life without the possibility of parole without prosecutors first having to seek the death penalty," the press release states.

Morris' full consecutive sentence is life without parole plus 60 years, including 20 years each on the two armed assault convictions and five years on each of four firearm violations. The jury found Morris guilty on all charges.