(CN) - Two Tennessee men were each given 28 years in prison for killing a man during a drug-related robbery, the Justice Department said.
Michael Massey, 26, and Demario Winston, 27, admitted to robbing a home in Clarksville, Tenn. in 2011 because they heard there was a stash of cocaine and cash in a basement safe, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.
Winston got into a gunfight with the homeowner while others involved in the home invasion tried to get a second occupant, Raul Triana, to open the safe. A number of the co-conspirators fled due to the gun fight, which is when Massey shot and killed Triana in the basement with an assault rifle, the government said in Tuesday's sentencing announcement.
Massey and Winston pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit robbery and use of a firearm in a violent crime resulting in death. Massey also admitted to an Oct. 2011 gunpoint robbery of a Clarksville construction company.
In addition to prison time, Massey was ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution. Winston is from Clarksville and Massey is from Lexington, Tenn., according to the Justice Department.
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