Former Vineland man gets prison term for deadly shooting in 2015
BRIDGETON - A former Vineland man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail in connection with a deadly gun attack in March 2015.
Michael Loftin Jr., 28, was tried over 12 days in August for a late-night shooting that killed two Vineland men — 22-year-old Damian Mills and 20-year-old Kevin Peterson.
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A third person in a car with the victims survived a wound to the leg. A fourth was not hit.
Detectives questioned Loftin after the shooting and he left the area, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office.
He was charged in June 2015 after information on a phone found near the murder scene led investigators to his Oak Road residence.
The phone also tested positive for Loftin's DNA, authorities said.
Loftin was found guilty of conspiring to murder. He was acquitted of two counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault and weapons offenses.
Loftin must serve 17 years before parole eligibility under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Cristen D'Arrigo on Oct. 27.
A second suspect, 44-year-old Sheldon Goldsborough, is awaiting trial.
The charges against him are only allegations, and Goldsborough has not been convicted in the case.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Michael Loftin Jr. was tried for murders of Damian Mills, Kevin Peterson
