A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to prison following his conviction in a deadly shooting at a Homewood motel.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Streety this week sentenced Devonta Jamal Ephraim to 30 years in state prison in the 2021 slaying of Anthony David Decola at the Motel 6.

A jury on Feb. 2 convicted Ephraim on a reduced charge of manslaughter. He was originally charged with murder in Decola’s slaying.

Homewood police were dispatched at 12:48 p.m. on April 23, 2021, to the Vulcan Road motel on a report of a person shot. Sgt. John Carr said officers arrived to find Decola unresponsive outside of the door to a corner room on the third floor. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:04 p.m.

Authorities said the shooting stemmed from a verbal argument between Decola and Ephraim.

Police responding to the scene were flagged down by a citizen who had seen Ephraim run away. An officer ordered a suspect to stop, but police said Ephraim jumped a fence and continued to flee.

Eventually Ephraim was captured in a parking lot several businesses away and held at gunpoint on the ground until backup arrived.

A pistol magazine was found in nearby bushes, and the gun found a short distance away.

At the time of his arrest in 2021, Ephraim had a lengthy arrest record which included convictions for certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm, receiving stolen property and second-degree assault.

The case was prosecuted by Jefferson County assistant district attorneys Logan Flowers, Charissa Henrich and Blake Owens. Attorney Roderick Walls represented Ephraim.