A Jefferson County man has been sentenced to prison for the 2019 shooting death of another man in Birmingham.

Ray Franklin Jr., 45, pleaded guilty last month to the slaying of 39-year-old Towan Troy Lee.

Initially charged with murder, Franklin pleaded to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

Franklin was booked back in the Jefferson County Jail Monday after Circuit Judge Shanta Owens sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Lee’s body was discovered about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 2019, at 93rd Street North and Seventh Court North in Zion City.

A passerby found Lee in the roadway unresponsive. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Lee was identified through fingerprints with assistance from the New Jersey State Police.

Investigators said they uncovered information that Lee was killed “in retaliation for a previous incident.”

Lee, a father of four, grew up in Patterson, N.J.

“Towan loved his children very much,” according to his obituary, which described him as a jokester, rap artist, and a handyman who loved coffee, peanuts and hot wings.

Franklin was initially arrested in February 2020.

During Franklin’s arrest, police found additional evidence to arrest him on three drug charges, but those charges were dismissed as part of his plea agreement.

Franklin remains jailed awaiting transfer to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Jefferson County Deputy District Attorneys Meaghan Willis and Julie Carter prosecuted the case. Attorney Emory Anthony represented Franklin.