NC Man Who Joined ISIS Sentenced To Life In Prison In State Court

UPDATE: Three weeks after being sentenced to life in prison in federal court for an attempted act of terrorism, Justin Sullivan received another life sentence in state court on murder charges.

Sullivan, 21, pleaded guilty to 1st Degree Murder in the December 2014 shooting death of John Clark. On Monday, the judge sentenced him to life without parole in state prison after the expiration of his federal life sentence.

According to reports, Sullivan stole a .22-caliber rifle from his father’s locked gun cabinet while his parents were out of town and shot 74-year-old Clark in the head three times. Officials say Clark was asleep in his own bed when the shooting happened.

Investigators say Sullivan then stripped Clark and buried him in a shallow grave outside his home. Clark’s home was less than a quarter mile from the Sullivan’s house.

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{Previous post from June 27, 2017}

ASHEVILLE, NC — A Morganton man who planned to kill hundreds in the name of ISIS will spend the rest of his life in federal prison.

Justin Sullivan showed little reaction when a judge handed down the sentence inside an Asheville courtroom Tuesday. Federal prosecutors say Sullivan planned an attack on a soft target, like a concert or a club.

Federal agents arrested Sullivan in 2015 after his stepfather tipped off the FBI. Sullivan is also accused of killing a neighbor to steal money to buy a gun for his attack.