Reginald Riddle received a life sentence today for the murder of Dernell Stenson.

Reginald Riddle, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder as part of a plea agreement in 2006. Under Arizona law, he must be sentenced to life in prison, but Superior Court Judge Robert Gottsfield decided Friday morning that Riddle would be eligible for parole after 25 years.

Defense Attorney Steve Koestner made the case that Riddle was simply a person who got swept up in an incident by people he trusted, to which Gottsfield agreed.

"I believe that this man is a follower, and has never been a leader," Gottsfield said during the hearing in Phoenix.