San Diego

A 20-year-old Rancho Penasquitos man who killed a teen-ager in a gang-related, drive-by shooting was sentenced Friday to 20 years to life in state prison.

John Michael Mizicko was also ordered to pay, from his prison wages, $6,000 to the family of Raymond Jose, 17, of Mira Mesa, to cover burial and funeral expenses.

Superior Court Judge David Gill granted a defense motion to place Mizicko in the California Youth Authority until age 25, when he will be transferred to an adult prison to finish his term.

Jose was shot Nov. 18, 1989, near a Mira Mesa taco stand.

Mizicko testified June 6 that he fired the gun because a crowd of gang members began rushing toward his car, and he feared he would be injured if he didn’t fire to scare them away.

The jury convicted Mizicko of second-degree murder June 8.

Gill imposed a sentence of 15 years to life for the murder and an additional five years because the shooting was committed from a moving vehicle.

The driver of Mizicko’s car, Lawrence Rowe, 18, also of Rancho Penasquitos, has been ordered to stand trial for murder as an adult and may be arraigned next week.

A Juvenile Court judge ordered that Rowe and fellow passenger DeVon Brumfield, 18, of Rancho Penasquitos, stand trial for murder as juveniles, but the 4th District Court of Appeal overturned the decision on Rowe, and he will be tried as an adult.

Brumfield’s case in Juvenile Court is pending. He and Rowe are in custody.