The killer of 17-year-old Sterling Horton has finally confessed to the crime — 7 ½ years later.

Tarius Gresham, 24, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He is already incarcerated on rape charges.

"It just feels really good," said Horton's mother, Doris Young, adding that the years of not knowing who shot her son were "straight hell."

In July 2006, police officers found Horton shot to death at the intersection of 14th and Irving Avenues in north Minneapolis after he had been walking home from a friend's house.

Authorities failed to find any suspects at the time. However, the complaint said Gresham recently admitted to police that he encountered Horton on the street and engaged him in a fight because he didn't like him. The pair began throwing punches, and Gresham pulled out a gun and shot Horton once in the neck before fleeing, the complaint said.

MAYA RAO