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Michigan man gets up to 100 years for road rage beating, death of man

Posted at 5:03 PM, Jul 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-25 21:15:10-04

A 19-year-old man convicted of second-degree murder in the death of a man after what authorities called a road rage incident in western Michigan has been sentenced to prison.

Kent County Circuit Court Judge George Quist on Monday ordered Christian Hillman of Ada Township to spend 22½ to 100 years in prison. Quist called the assault on 64-year-old William "Andy" McFarlan of Caledonia a "heinous and vicious attack."

McFarlan died after being in hospice care for weeks with a severe brain injury after the Sept. 29 attack near Grand Rapids. Authorities say Hillman, who had been riding a dirt bike, kicked McFarlan while the victim lay on the ground outside his pickup truck.

Hillman's lawyer has referred to the incident as a fight, saying at some point Hillman lost control.