FLINT, Mich. - Three teen-agers were sentenced to life in prison for the beating death of a homeless man who had cheated them out of less than $1 after buying them beer.
Mark A. Gonzalez, 16, Ryan A. Kendrick, 17, and Michael D. Worden, 16, were convicted of murdering 34-year-old Mark Harris in 1999 with boards, sticks and bricks. Harris lived in a debris-filled trailer behind a doughnut shop.
''His lifestyle may have differed ... but he was a human being who deserved the dignity any human being should have,'' Judge Robert M. Ransom said at the sentencing Wednesday.
A fourth teen-ager pleaded guilty to murder and is awaiting sentencing.
