SYRACUSE -- An East Syracuse man was sentenced this morning in Onondaga County Court after admitting to tampering with physical evidence in a local murder case.
23-year-old Carl Otts was convicted in April of destroying evidence in the murder case of 18-year-old Wesley Valentine, who was stabbed to death outside of a bar on North Salina Street in February of 2008. Otts was aquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in connection with Valentine’s death.
Otts was sentenced to one and one third to four years in state prison, the maximum penalty for that particular crime.
Another man, Christopher Barry, pleaded guilty to similar evidence tampering charges last month and was sentenced to one year in prison. Murder and manslaughter charges against Barry were previously dismissed by Onondaga County Court Judge Anthony Aloi.
Otts apologized to Valentine’s family in the courtroom Wednesday morning.
