Man sentenced in 2023 death of Glenwood South business owner David Millette
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Three years after the death of Midwood Smokehouse general manager David Millette, his family says they have a sentence -- and only a small measure of closure.
Tyrell Moore was sentenced Thursday to a prison term of three to nearly five years after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He had originally been charged with murder after prosecutors said a fight caused the injuries that led to Millette's death. Moore accepted a plea agreement to the lesser charge.
"It's very disappointing that we ended up where we did, frankly," the victim's father, Dave Millette, said.
The sentencing followed a delay Monday when Moore was hospitalized. Millette's family called the punishment insufficient and the violence senseless.
"We've been waiting for this sentencing to happen, and it feels like a gross inadequacy," Millette's sister, Katey Millette, said.
No audio recording was allowed in the courtroom, and Moore did not address the court.
They've been through a tremendous loss, and certainly, our heart goes out to them. We feel like this was a just outcome given the circumstances. It just doesn't measure up to the loss this family has suffered.- Lorrin Freeman, Wake County District Attorney
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said prosecutors followed the facts and applied the law, noting that sentences in similar cases typically fall within the same range. Still, she acknowledged the family's loss.
"They've been through a tremendous loss, and certainly, our heart goes out to them," Freeman said. "We feel like this was a just outcome given the circumstances. It just doesn't measure up to the loss this family has suffered."
Although Thursday's sentencing closes a long legal chapter, Millette's family said it does not ease their grief. This week, they marked what would have been his 30th birthday.
"He's a father. He's a neighbor. He's a son and a brother," Katey Millette said. "That was taken away from all of us."
