Fourth accomplice sentenced in connection to murder of FAU student

An off-campus shooting resulted in a sophomore’s death in 2015.

Photo courtesy of the Boca Raton Police Department.

Photo courtesy of the Boca Raton Police Department.

Cameren Boatner, Staff Writer

In a burglary gone wrong, sophomore Nicholas Acosta was shot dead. Now, over two years later, the fourth accomplice has been sentenced.

 

Adonis Gillis will face 21 ½ years in prison, according to the Palm Beach Post. He is the last of the accomplices to be sentenced following the December 2015 University Park Apartments shooting less than a mile from the Boca campus.

 

Adonis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, burglary, and robbery, said the Post.

 

Alexander Gillis, Roderick Woods, and Donovan Malik Henry were all involved in the robbery after Henry set up a deal to buy marijuana from Acosta.

 

Alexander, Adonis’ cousin, fired the shot that killed Acosta. This landed him in prison last year, receiving the longest sentence of the four men at 48 years.

 

Woods was sentenced to 19 years for second-degree murder, armed robbery, and armed burglary. For the same charges, Henry will spend 35 years in prison.

 

Maximino Acosta, the father of the victim of the Dec. 29, 2015 shooting, wasn’t satisfied with the sentence.

 

Acosta said if it were up to him, “they would get the same sentence my son got.”

 

Prosecutors, however, were pushing for a 25-year sentence for Adonis.

 

Adonis was apologetic and pleaded guilty to the charges saying, “I will use the rest of my life to earn their forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” according to the Post.

 

Still, Acosta’s father said it was only to get a lighter sentence.

 

Cameren Boatner is a staff writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected].