Conn. man sentenced in 2008 double killings

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) — A New Britain man apologized Tuesday before being sentenced to 37 years in prison for killing two men whose bodies were dumped four years ago along Interstate 384.

Jokshan Bryant could have faced up to 80 years for the 2008 slayings of Ronald Brown, 42, of Bristol and Eric Kimberly, 37, of Torrington. Bryant pleaded guilty in April to two counts of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm. He had faced capital felony and murder charges.

WVIT-TV reported that the judge who sentenced him in New Britain Superior Court called the killings an unspeakable tragedy.

"If I could change what happened or avoid that night completely, I would," Bryant told the victims' families in court. "I would like you to know that I am deeply and sincerely sorry for being the one that took your loved ones from you."

Geri Roy, the grandmother of Brown's teenage daughter, told WVIT: "She couldn't believe how her father was tossed out like a bag of garbage on the side of the road."

Prosecutors said Bryant and Brown argued over a woman before Bryant shot him and Kimberly, who was Brown's friend. Their plastic-wrapped bodies were found dumped along the highway in Manchester and Bolton.

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Information from: WVIT-TV