Tennessee man convicted in killing of pawn shop owner


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man has been sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a pawn shop owner more than five years ago.

The Shelby County district attorney's office said Monday that 35-year-old Charles Griffen was sentenced by a Criminal Court judge after Griffen was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 56-year-old Virak Hean.

An obituary says Hean was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Hean's killing in December 2013 was caught on store cameras. Griffen walked into Hean's pawn shop in Memphis with a red bag over his shoulder and shot the owner twice in the chest.

Court documents say Griffen took items from the store and escaped in a waiting car. He was arrested later.

A man charged with being the getaway driver is awaiting trial.

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