New York City (USA) - A brutal act took place during a vigil: a woman killed her childhood friend with several shots - right in front of the guests.

A few days ago, 46-year-old Claudia Banton was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison for this terrible crime.

As People reported, the crime took place in August 2021, when friends and family gathered to pay their last respects to a deceased friend. Delia Johnson was also present in the US city of New York.

But suddenly shots rang out: The 46-year-old fired at Johnson, who fell to the ground shortly afterwards. She is said to have shot the woman at least six times before fleeing in a car parked nearby.

Banton was on the run for four months until she was finally arrested after an intensive manhunt in Florida.

"This shooting was a cold-blooded execution of a woman who was attending a ceremony to honor a deceased friend," the district attorney stated.

He added that it was particularly frightening that the defendant had been so ruthless as to commit the murder in the midst of a crowd of grieving people, causing chaos and fear.

Claudia Banton was sentenced a full four years after the horrific crime. It is still unclear why she shot her friend.