Staff Writer

Oct. 5, 2000 10 PM

The 25-year-old man found guilty of murder by a Pike County jury last month, will be sentenced by Circuit Judge Thomas Head today.

Deiallo Teron Stringer’s sentence hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m.

It only took a jury 45 minutes on Sept. 14 to find Stringer guilty of the shooting death of Komommo Oju Offem, 18, of Tuskegee, who was a student at Troy State University when he died.

Offem was shot in the right temple at approximately 1:44 a.m. on March 6, 1998 outside New Image ­ also known as E.T.’s Lounge ­ on U.S. 231 South between Troy and Brundidge.

Since being found guilty, Stringer has been incarcerated in the Pike County Jail.

During his trial, Stringer admitted to firing a 22-caliber chrome-colored pistol that early March morning. The defendant testified the day before being found guilty he did fire from the open window of his green Chevrolet Blazer, but had no intention of shooting Offem, who he didn’t even know.

Stringer, who is a former Troy State University student, had been living with his parents in Georgia since the incident. He was not enrolled in school at the time of the shooting.

After the verdict was announced, Stringer’s attorney Randy Arnold said it wasn’t "right" to ask a jury to take information, such as what was presented during that week, "and question their decision just because it didn’t turn out favorably."

He said the 12 individuals were "faced with a tragic and extremely intense set of facts and circumstances to weigh and consider over a four-day period. Any decision they could have made could not have been easy and we have to trust what they did was what our system asked them to do."

District Attorney Mark Fuller, who tired the case with Assistant District Attorney Larry Jarrell, was pleased with the jury’s decision.

He quickly added he is never happy to see a young person sent to prison.

"I take no pride in putting young people in the penitentiary for stupid, irresponsible conduct like this. I hope it (the conviction) sends a message to these kids that solving their problems with a gun will result in them going to the penitentiary."

He said "there are two wasted lives" that resulted from that shooting more than two years ago.