Overview
- A Philadelphia judge ordered Zaakir McClendon to serve 40 to 80 years in prison after a sentencing hearing held Friday.
- McClendon pleaded guilty in April to two counts of third‑degree murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of attempted murder, and related charges.
- Prosecutors say the Sept. 27, 2022 attack outside Roxborough High School was a planned, coordinated shooting in which more than 60 rounds were fired and 14‑year‑old Nicolas Elizalde was killed by a stray bullet.
- Police and prosecutors linked McClendon to both the Roxborough shooting and the April 13, 2023 killing of 16‑year‑old Nafis Betrand‑Hill through DNA and ballistic evidence, and he was arrested nearly three years after the Roxborough attack.
- Families spoke at the hearing and community memorials remain in place as prosecutions of the other defendants in the Roxborough case move forward and survivors press for prevention investments alongside punishment.