37 year sentence for Tyler teen after pleading guilty to murder

TYLER — A Tyler man will spend 37 years in prison for the murder of a Chapel Hill High School senior earlier this year. According to our news partner KETK, 18-year-old John Sparks pleaded guilty to killing 17-year old Zane Collier, last April. As part of the plea agreement, Sparks gave up his right to appeal. The warrant stated that Sparks, confessed to the crime in an interview with police the following day. According to the warrant, Collier and a friend went to Sparks’ home where they robbed him of the marijuana.

Sparks saw them take the drugs, got in his car and went to Collier’s house because he was “very angry.” Collier, two friends, and his sister spent the next three hours in an SUV parked in his driveway watching movies on their phone and smoking the marijuana.