Gaston County man in prison for killing father opens up about fight for shorter sentence

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Gaston County man convicted of killing his father as a teenager more than a decade ago will have to wait longer to continue his fight for a shorter sentence.

Nathanael High’s case was continued Thursday until the end of September.

High was 14 when he was accused of killing his father, Gaston College Police Chief Randy High. Police said Randy High was shot and killed in his home by his son and his son’s girlfriend in 2002.

Nathanael High was sentenced to life in prison.

The Supreme Court has since ruled that any minor charged with murder as an adult cannot face a life sentence. Because of the ruling, prosecutors changed Nathanael High’s conviction to second-degree murder and agreed on a sentence of 25 years in prison. His attorney claims the adjusted sentence is still wrong and should be shorter.

Nathanael High is now in his 30s and freely admits that he was part of the 2002 shooting but thinks his punishment is too harsh.

>> He contacted Channel 9′s Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon by phone from prison to share his side of the story. You can hear from him in the video at the top of the page.

Convicted teen killer makes request for new sentence Convicted teen killer makes request for new sentence

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