ORLANDO, Fla. – A man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for a 2016 robbery that turned into a deadly shooting along International Drive in Orange County.
Troy Sparrow, 30, was convicted of first-degree murder with a firearm in the death of Osman Darcan, 52, from Turkey.
Darcan was on his honeymoon in Orlando with his wife in 2016. He was outside a hotel with his wife when the sheriff’s office said Sparrow tried to steal her purse. Darcan struggled with Sparrow, and Darcan was shot in the head.
During the sentencing, an attorney read a victim statement from Darcan’s wife, who said she was not able to return to work after her husband’s death and had to be treated by psychiatrists.
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“My life was destroyed by Troy Sparrow over a purse,” the victim’s statement read.
Sparrow, for his part, said he was sorry for the family’s loss, but maintained he was innocent of the crime.
“An eyewitness clearly said that wasn’t me, I didn’t fit the description, they never clearly identified the getaway car, they never clearly identified the weapon, they never clearly identified me as the perpetrator, the one holding the gun,” Sparrow said. “I feel like this trial was very unfair.”
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