Sentence Reduced in Longview Teen’s Death

TYLER — Authorities say Adrian Blankenship Jr., one of the men charged in the shooting death of 15-year-old Nicole Cartwright of Longview, entered a plea deal Thursday in a Smith County courtroom. According to KETK, this brings his charge down from first degree murder to manslaughter, also reducing his sentence to 20 years in prison. Cartwright was found shot to death outside of a Tyler car wash on Christmas Eve in 2010, after being caught in the crossfire of a gun allegedly shot by another man, Gregory Polley. Polley pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Blankenship was said to be in the same car as Polley at the time of the shooting.