Murderer of Greencastle man sentenced to 30 years

The man who murdered Christopher Jason Ayala, 23, Greencastle last May 22 will spend up to 30 years in prison.

Stephen Lamar Urquhart, 27, New York City, was sentenced March 20 in Washington County Circuit Court in Hagerstown, Md. He pled guilty in February to shooting Ayala in Zipper's Bar on North Jonathan Street. Ayala died in Washington County Hospital.

Judge M. Kenneth Long Jr. sentenced Urquhart to 25 years for second-degree murder and five years for a handgun violation. He will be eligible for parole in 17 years, as the judge ordered him to serve half the 25- year sentence and all of the fiveyear sentence before being considered. Urquhart was arrested in June in New York.