Man Who Killed Friend Over Super Bowl Bet Gets Life in Prison

'They cheated my team'
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 6, 2016 4:15 PM CST
Man Who Killed Friend Over Super Bowl Bet Gets Life in Prison
Eddie Roberson was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after killing his friend over a Super Bowl bet in 2013.   (Essex County Prosecutor's Office)

A 31-year-old New Jersey man who killed his "longtime friend" after losing a Super Bowl bet in 2013 was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, the New York Daily News reports. Eddie Roberson bet his friend Talif Crowley $700 that the San Francisco 49ers would beat the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. The 49ers and Roberson lost, but Roberson refused to pay up. He was still mad about losing the bet two days later when he shot Crowley six times. According to NJ.com, Roberson and Crowley ran into each other on the street. When the father of five went to shake Roberson's hand, Roberson opened fire.

A witness to the shooting recalls hearing Roberson say "they cheated my team" before shooting Crowley. Many blamed the 49ers' narrow loss to the Ravens on the referees missing a holding penalty. The judge who sentenced Roberson on Friday described the crime as "brazen and cold-blooded," noting Roberson "has expressed absolutely no remorse for his actions." In fact, Roberson still denies he shot his friend, despite the testimony of multiple witnesses. Roberson was convicted back in December. (More murder stories.)

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