Nathaniel Abraham gets break by judge in drug dealing sentence

(FOX 2) - Nathaniel Abraham first made headlines in 1997, convicted and sent to prison for murder at the age of 11 years old.

On Tuesday Abraham found out he'll spend a lot more time behind bars, this time on drug charges. He has had legal troubles for more than 20 years - and he's only 33. This time he could have faced life in prison - but he got a big break.

Abraham was sentenced for dealing drugs in Pontiac and Farmington Hills to six to 40 years in prison.

The 33-year-old father apologized to the court, the community and his family - including his 8-month-old son. 

"I apologize for my actions - I take full responsibility," he said.

Dealing drugs is just his latest crime - at 11-years-old he was the youngest child in Michigan to be tried and eventually convicted of murder. 

Abraham's attorney James Galen, said he was grateful for the judge's sentence.

"We respect the judge for having the guts to say this is not a career criminal - this is not a big level dealer," Galen said. "He could have faced up to life in prison. I think the judge realizes that even though he's had an extensive criminal history that he's also a still quite viable as a human being."

That criminal history after the murder conviction includes drugs, assault, indecent exposure and resisting police.

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Now his attorney says he'll spend at least six years behind bars on these drug charges, hopefully learning from those mistakes - learning the hard way - not to take the easy way out.

"He's got a new child that's eight months old - Nathaniel Jamar Abraham Jr. - that's his son," Galen said. "That may be the motivating factor to get him to take the tough way instead of the easy way out."