Ferguson protester sentenced to 8 years in QuikTrip arson
ST. LOUIS -- One of the more visible protesters during last year's unrest in Ferguson, Mo., has been sentenced to eight years in prison for starting a fire at a gas station in nearby Berkeley.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a St. Louis County circuit judge sentenced 19-year-old Joshua Williams on Thursday. Williams pleaded guilty last month to arson, burglary and stealing related to the fire.
The fire at a QuikTrip was lit during protests over the killing of Antonio Martin, who was fatally shot in December by a police officer at a gas station across the street.
Prosecutors had asked for a 15-year sentence, while Williams' attorney asked for a suspended or lesser sentence.
Williams was frequently quoted and photographed while protesting the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson.