Monessen teenager sentenced to prison for fatally shooting friend

A Monessen teenager responsible for the November 2022 shooting death of a friend was sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to lesser charges earlier this year.

Terry Newton, 17, appeared in Westmoreland District Court and was sentenced by Judge Scott Mears to eight to 25 years in prison in connection with the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Amari Altomore nearly two years ago.

Newton pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a weapon by a minor on April 15. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the manslaughter charge against him.

Altomore was shot and killed on November 29, 2022, while apparently playing video games with Newton in the defendant’s upstairs bedroom of his home in the 600 block of 14th Street in Monessen. Altomore left the house and was found lying on the porch of a home on nearby Reservoir Avenue before being taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he died the following day.

Newton ran out of the house and was not seen for more than three weeks before turning himself in to authorities. His defense had previously claimed that Newton and Altomore were friends and that the shooting was an accident.

According to court records, Newton has been held at Lawrence County Prison since his arrest in December 2022. After his release from prison, Newton will spend one year on probation. His defense attorney, Kenneth Noga, did not respond to a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Monessen Police, Westmoreland County detectives and sheriff’s deputies.