A western Michigan man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting the son of a man he had feuded with at a condominium where both men lived.
A Muskegon County Circuit Court judge sentenced Paul Gabriel, 63, on Thursday in the September 2018 killing of Anthony James “AJ” Federighe, 22, at a Muskegon Lake condo.
A jury found Gabriel guilty of first-degree murder in Federighe’s slaying, The Muskegon Chronicle reported.
Federighe’s mother, Buffy Schichtel, said during the remote hearing that Gabriel and her son’s father, Tony Federighe, were once friends but Gabriel became obsessed with Tony Federighe and exhibited “bizarre behavior,” causing concern among Gabriel’s associates.
Gabriel and Tony Federighe had feuded for a year, and both unsuccessfully sought protection orders against each other, according to testimony.
A couple who lived at the condo testified that just before the shooting they broke up a fight between Gabriel and the victim at the condo’s parking garage. They were walking with AJ Federighe when Gabriel pointed a gun in their direction and fired, striking the young man in the chest.
Tony Federighe told the court Gabriel had threatened to kill him months before he killed his son and that at the time his family was in the process of moving to get away from Gabriel.
He said Gabriel had dented his vehicle, slashed his tires, peeked in his windows and tried to get his son’s car towed.