2nd man sentenced in UNC professor’s 2014 beating death

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – A second man has been sentenced to prison in the 2014 beating death of a University of North Carolina professor.

The Herald-Sun reports that 28-year-old Derick Davis II pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery in Feng Liu’s death and was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to 34 years.

Davis’ co-defendant, Troy Arrington, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2017 and sentenced to life without parole.

Authorities say Liu was hit in the head with a landscaping rock and robbed while on a walk near campus. He died the next day.

The 59-year-old was a research professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. His research interests focused on gene and drug delivery in cancer treatment.

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