He Was Mad After Being Cut Off, So He Chased The Driver Down And Shot Him Dead. Then He Tried To Claim Self-Defense.

A Black man was murdered in a road-rage incident. Now, his killer will spend decades behind bars.

Recently, a judge in Marion County, Oregon, sentenced Manuel North to life in prison for killing Herman Leslie Graham III, in 2020, according to the Associated Press.

A jury convicted North of murder, but he was acquitted of a bias crime charge, according to the AP.

North will have to serve at least 25 years behind bars.

On Oct. 26, police in Salem, Oregon, responded to a shooting and found Graham dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Statesman Journal. North initially tried to claim the shooting was in self-defense.

Three women were in the car with Graham and gave police details about the incident.

They said they think Graham cut off North’s vehicle, according to the Statesman Journal. North then pulled up next to Graham’s vehicle and made it seem like he was trying to run him off the road.

One woman said she heard North make race-based comments, such as “You're nothing but a n***** and the KKK is gonna come to get you," the Statesman Journal reported.

Graham decided to pull over and the two men got out of the car, according to the report. That is when the shooting happened.

The Statesman Journal noted that Graham was born in Oregon but grew up in Georgia. He served in the U.S. Navy and returned to Oregon to be close to his mother.

North didn’t speak before the judge handed down the sentence.

Khristy Lewis, the victim’s sister, said her brother's death could have been avoided, according to the Statesman Journal.

"I don't understand," she said. "I probably never will."