The Justice Department said U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jamalo Bruner Jr. to 50 years in federal prison for using a firearm during a crime of violence that killed Benjamin Montgomery. The sentence is followed by five years of supervised release, the department said. Bruner pleaded guilty.

The DOJ said the killing happened on October 10, 2019, at the Bellevue Apartments in Tulsa. Montgomery was inside his apartment with five friends when armed intruders forced their way in, according to the department. He confronted the gunmen to protect the others and was shot in the chest during the struggle.

The homicide sat unsolved for several years until the FBI and the Tulsa Police Department Homicide Unit developed new leads and reopened it. DNA testing produced a profile consistent with Bruner's, the department said, though investigators could not determine who fired the fatal shot.

Montgomery had turned 22 three days before his death. At sentencing, his family and friends spoke about years of grief and described him as a loyal son, devoted brother, trusted friend, athlete and animal lover known for protecting others, according to the DOJ. Family members said they were grateful for the work of law enforcement and prosecutors and believed justice had been served.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney's Office credited Tulsa Police Detective Lacy Lansdown with leading the investigation that solved the cold case, and Case Support Specialist Margot Heyne-Bell for her help. The department said the case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement together against violent crime.