KINGMAN — Lengthy victim impact statements were articulated during an April 29 sentencing hearing for one Kingman man held responsible in the shooting death of another last summer. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen said the family expression of loss in the death of Patrick Benson, 31, is genuine.
“This is clearly going to have an emotional impact forever,” Jantzen said.
A first-degree murder charge and a weapons offense are dismissed in a previously entered plea agreement convicting Melvin Grayson, 58, of manslaughter. Grayson declined his opportunity to address the Court during the sentencing proceeding.
Kingman police found Benson dead at the scene after responding to a report of a shooting in the 2200 block of Davis Avenue at about 6:30 a.m. on July 24, 2024. Benson reportedly suffered a single gunshot to the head.
Grayson was arrested on a homicide warrant the next day in Bullhead City.
Deputy Mohave County attorney Leah Nelson said the state always maintained that Grayson was solely responsible for the deadly shooting. She said there was no evidence to support the defendant’s claim that he and Benson were struggling for control of a weapon when it discharged accidentally..
Terms of the plea agreement mandated the 10.5-year prison term imposed by Judge Jantzen.
