Deadly dice dispute nets 2 life sentences for Florida man
MARIANNA, Fla. (AP) - A Florida Panhandle man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after fatally shooting of a man during a dice game dispute.
On Monday, acting Circuit Judge Wade Mercer ordered 30-year-old George Beachum Jr. to serve two life sentences for the 2015 death of 37-year-old Calvin Lee Rhynes.
The News Herald reports that after Beachum lost money to Rhynes during a dice game at a make-shift bar called Shag's Place, he left and returned with a gun. Authorities say after the shooting Beachum took back the money he'd lost playing the game.
Beachum fled, but was arrested the next day. He was convicted of first-degree murder in March.
State Attorney's Office spokesman David Angier says Beachum isn't eligible for release during either life sentence.