State Attorney Bill Eddins today announced James Hunter Gates was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 13 years in state prison by Circuit Judge John Miller. Gates entered a plea on January 23 to Manslaughter with a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Delinquent.
The 20 year old Gates was arrested on August 25 after deputies responded to a shooting at a residence on Keyser Lane in Pace where Gates lived. They found 24 year old Romeo Wolff dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office determined Gates and Wolff were drinking alcoholic beverages in the bedroom that evening while playing with a shotgun that belonged to Gates. As a convicted delinquent, Gates was prohibited from possessing any firearms. Wolff pointed the barrel of the gun at his face and dared Gates to pull the trigger. Gates responded by pulling the trigger which caused the gun to fire. Wolff was struck in the face with the blast and died at the scene.
The investigation and arrest were conducted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney James Parker prosecuted the case for the State of Florida.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: James Hunter Gates sentenced