Brian Terry's family reflects after his killer is sentenced

A Mexican man was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison in the December 2010 murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in ATF’s Fast and Furious gunwalking case. Manuel Osorio-Arellanes was wounded at the crime scene and pleaded guilty to first degree murder.

Terry's sister, Kelly Terry-Willis told Osorio-Arellanes at the sentencing hearing in federal court in Tucson, Ariz., that he was a coward who had chosen the wrong path in life, the Associated Press reported. She also described her brother as a loving and devoted family man - "a man who loved God and life," according to the AP. 

Prior to the sentencing, Terry-Willis and other members of Terry’s family visited the Arizona site where he was murdered and shared photos of their visit with CBS News.

Terry’s family released a statement after Osorio-Arellanes’ sentencing stating, "We are not celebrating. Today we recognized justice has been served and we believe the 30 year sentence imposed on this particular defendant is an appropriate sentence.”

Two additional suspects in Terry’s murder are in custody in Mexico and at least two are still on the loose.

Two rifles used in the assault on Terry and his team had been sold to weapons traffickers in the government’s controversial Fast and Furious operation. In that case, ATF allowed thousands of untracked weapons to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Supporters of the plan said the idea was to see where the guns ended up and try to take down a “big fish” in a drug cartel.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.