LOCAL : Woman Gets 27 Yrs. for Slaying Man She Called a Drug Dealer

A Lancaster woman who was convicted of first-degree murder despite her claim that the man she killed was supplying drugs to her daughter was sentenced today to 27 years to life in state prison.

Judge Margaret Grignon gave Belita Fox the mandatory sentence of 25 years to life, along with an additional two years that are legally required because Fox used a gun in the murder of Kevin Furman, 26.

That means Fox, 41, will serve at least 18 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole, according to her lawyer, Vincent Oliver.

Fox admitted shooting Furman five times but contended that she confronted Furman because she believed he was giving drugs to her 17-year-old daughter, then shot him when he menaced her.

But evidence during the trial last month showed that Furman was shot while lying in bed. And although a witness said Furman used drugs and sold drugs on two occasions, there was no evidence that he gave drugs to Fox’s daughter, Cheryl Wilson.

Fox “was a woman who saw her life unraveling, her family leaving her for a variety of reasons,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Foltz told Grignon before sentencing. “She struck out in a way that our society cannot tolerate.”

Furman’s relatives and friends, who mounted a campaign to clear Furman of Fox’s allegations that he was a drug dealer, showed up in force for the sentencing and expressed satisfaction.