The father of a convicted killer was sentenced Friday in court to 9 to 23 years in prison for helping his son hide from police.
Gregory Strickland, 45, of Philadelphia, who had been convicted in absentia during a trial last March, was sentenced by Lancaster County Court Judge Margaret Miller to the maximum penalty.
Strickland's son, Dileef, shot and killed another man and also wounded a 4-year-old child on May 7, 2007, at South Lime and Juniata streets.
The younger Strickland, now 22, eluded capture for nearly five months, with the help of his parents, prosecutors said.
Dileef Strickland eventually was captured in Philadelphia, convicted of third-degree murder for the death of Donte Hammond and sentenced by Judge Dennis Reinaker to 21 to 43 years in prison.
Dileef Strickland's mother and Gregory Strickland's ex-wife, Deborah Addison, also was convicted of numerous offenses in connection with hiding her son and was sentenced by Miller in July to 6 to 23 months in prison plus 12 years probation.
As they did at Addison's sentencing, prosecutors told Miller how much time and effort went into capturing the young shooter — an effort made more difficult by the suspect's parents, who repeatedly lied to investigators.
City police Detective James Fatta said he approached Dileef Strickland's parents repeatedly in an effort to convince them to cooperate for the sake of their son's safety.
But when they refused, detectives said they enlisted the help of Philadelphia City and Pennsylvania State Police, along with members of the state Attorney General's Office, the District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Marshals.
Prosecutors said they spent hours tracing hundreds of cell phone calls between the three family members, resulting in a charge of criminal use of a communication facility.
Other charges against the Gregory Strickland included obstruction of justice and two counts of hindering apprehension.
In sentencing Dileef Strickland's father, Miller referred to his extensive prior criminal record as well as his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions, including failing to appear for trial and eluding law enforcement himself.
City police Detective Steven Owens, one of the key investigators in the case, commended everyone on the prosecution team.
"From the first patrol officers involved at the outset to the excellent case presented by (Assistant District Attorneys) Mark Fetterman and Deb Muzereus, this case sent a strong message to the community that we will follow through with prosecution," Owens said.
"More importantly Judge Miller's sentences send a message to the community that the court will stand behind us when we tell people there will be severe repercussions should they decide to assist a violent criminal or hinder our investigations."