Indiana

Mishawaka man sentenced to 60 years in cold case murder

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A judge has sentenced a Mishawaka man to 60 years in prison for the 1988 shooting death of a 16-year-old girl.

Phillip M. Geans, 45, was sentenced Friday for the murder of Mishawaka High School sophomore Theresa Burns. She was shot six times in her head and face with a .22-caliber gun.

As he left the courtroom, Geans said, “I sure hope they catch the person that shot that girl.”

A jury deliberated about three hours Sept. 28 before convicting him after a five-day trial.

Geans was charged in the case in December 2013, nearly 26 years after the girl’s death. Geans was 18 when Burns was shot in her home after leaving school. Police say Geans and Burns knew each other through friends.

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