MOULTRIE, Ga. — Four of seven young men who pleaded guilty in the 2015 slaying of John Hester Sr. were sentenced on Thursday to 18-year prison terms, and a fifth to 10 years.

Superior Court Judge Harry J. Altman imposed a 10-year sentence each on Ty’Cameron La’Darius Hayes, Derek Demond Phillips, Brandon Quanterrious “Brad” Wynn, and I-Key Tumazs Pinkins on a charge of criminal attempt to commit home invasion.

In addition, during the Thursday morning session at the Colquitt County Jail courtroom, the judge sentenced the four to an additional 12 years — eight to be served in prison and four on probation — on a burglary count. The four had faced a maximum sentence of 30 years on the two charges.

Altman sentenced a fifth of the seven arrested and charged with murder in connection with the slaying — Adrian Lyryan Robinson — to a 10-year prison term.

Six of the seven — all but Robinson — were accused in a burglary at a Norman Park home July 5, 2015, and all seven were accused of an attempted home invasion that night at the residence of John Hester Jr., across the road from his father’s house.

Police have said that Robinson did not take part in the burglary but was involved in the attempted home invasion during which the elder Hester was shot.

Prior to sentencing, two of Hester’s family members asked the judge to hand down stiff sentences.

“I know they’re not being sentenced for murder today, but their actions on July 5, 2015, were why he died,” said Hester’s daughter Tammy Croy, who also lives in close proximity to where the shooting place. “What was lost was my daddy’s life. My daughter lost her poppa.”

Croy described the shooting as a “senseless tragedy” but that the then-teen-agers bear the responsibility for what happened.

“They came to rob, to steal from someone,” she said. “They made a conscious decision to come to our house. They were there when my father was murdered.”

Myra Hall, Hester’s sister, told Altman that she feels the five deserve to stay in jail to “prevent them from destroying another family.

“They took Merle’s husband,” she said, referring to Hester’s wife. “They took a father. They took a life. I recommend you give them the longest sentence you can.”

The five sentenced on Thursday were among seven Moultrie and Norman Park teen-agers accused of taking part last year in a July 5 burglary at a Norman Park residence in the 100 block of Lonnie Brookard Road during which electronics and a large numbers of guns were stolen.

And that night they took part in what police say was a planned home invasion at the home of Hester’s son across the road from Hester’s 353 Hwy. 256 residence just outside of Norman Park.

The two not in court on Thursday — Christian Savion Glover and Tykerious Raheem “Grump” Jones — are scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 3. Jones pleaded guilty earlier this year, and a Colquitt County jury found Glover guilty only on burglary and attempted home invasion charges, acquitting him on the murder charge.

On the night of July 5, Hester reportedly heard a commotion out on the roadway shortly before midnight and went out to the road with his shotgun where he encountered a group of teen-agers in two cars. Police say there was some kind of confrontation between them during which Hester fired several shotgun blasts and was hit in the leg by someone firing from one of the fleeing cars.

Hester, 68, was taken to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, later transferred to Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville, and died at about 10 a.m. on July 6.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s autopsy report stated that Hester died of a combination of a gunshot wound and a preexisting severe heart condition.

Hayes pleaded guilty on Jan. 27 and Pinkins two days later on one count each of criminal attempt to commit home invasion and burglary. Robinson entered a guilty plea to burglary on Jan. 29.

Phillips and Wynn entered guilty pleas on Feb. 1 to the same charges as did Hayes and Pinkins.

Following the session, family members of some of those sentenced said they felt betrayed by the lengthy prison terms after they were assured by prosecutors that their sons would be recommended for first-offender consideration. All of those sentenced on Thursday either testified at the trial of co-defendant Glover or had agreed to do so if called.

“They said it was just going to be 10 years for each one of them,” Cynthia Pinkins said of her son I-Key Pinkins. “They told us they were going to have 10 years’ probation. That’s what they told us.

“They used them. Why did they use them like that? They did not tell us our children were signing a blind plea, and they gave them too long a sentence.”

Pamela Phillips and Alisia Wynn said they were told the same information as was Pinkins.

“They told us they would get 10 years’ probation under first-offender,” Alisia Wynn said.

Each of the attorneys asked that his client be sentenced under first-offender guidelines. However, Altman did not acknowledge those requests or give any comment on them before passing sentence.

The five defendants stood quietly as the judge handed down their sentences as they were led in and out one-by-one, and only responded in the affirmative that they understood their rights to appeal their sentences and convictions.

The judge allowed I-Key Pinkins’ mother to stand with him at the podium, and the two embraced several times before deputies took him outside the courtroom and downstairs to the jail.

Assistant District Attorney Kenneth Still said that prosecutors will not comment on the case until after the sentencing of Jones and Glover.

Pinkins’ attorney Billy Folsom of Valdosta pointed out that his client cooperated and testified during Glover’s trial and had a record of youth work at his church.

“At the time this took place, he had no gun, he didn’t shoot anybody,” he said of the July 5 night. “It seems a classic case of the wrong kid being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Moultrie Attorney Hayden Willis, representing Robinson, said that some of the five had the potential of turning their lives around, as he asked the judge to consider Robinson’s young age.

“They are not irredeemable,” he said. “We believe Mr. Robinson is capable of redeeming himself.”