LOWVILLE, New York (WWNY) - A man who was convicted of causing his friend’s death in Lewis County is going to prison.

Jacob Vanbergen was sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Lewis County Court to 25 years behind bars.

In June, a jury convicted Vanbergen of first-degree manslaughter in the death of his friend, Brandon Shepker.

Prosecutors said Vanbergen strangled Shepker at the Ridge View Lodge near Lowville on January 6, 2024. Both men were from Pennsylvania.

Vanbergen was originally charged with murder, but the jury found him not guilty of that charge, instead convicting him of manslaughter.

Vanbergen said nothing during his sentencing.

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