An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge sentenced a Brooklyn Park teen to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the botched robbery and murder of a Glen Burnie man in 2010.

Judge Michael Wachs gave Charles Sequan Butler, 19, of 100 block of West Edgevale Road in Brooklyn Park, the maximum sentence for second-degree murder, to which Butler entered an Alford plea in June.

Entering an Alford plea means Butler admits the state had enough of a case against him to find him guilty while maintaining his innocence. It carries the same weight as a guilty plea.

Butler was charged in the murder of Misael Flores, a patron at Mr. Wings & Pizza, during a botched robbery on Nov. 12, 2010—the night before Flores' 21st birthday.

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Butler and his mother both apologized to Flores' family for Butler's involvement in the crime.

But Wachs said he did not get the impression that Butler understood what he had been involved in and called the crime "senseless and callous."

"It was absolutely a senseless and callous use of violence, that a young man lost his life, and he didn't need to lose his life," Wachs said. "Ultimately, your involvement in the case makes me believe you are a dangerous person."

The sentencing guidelines called for at minimum of 25 years and Wachs said he exceeded those due to the nature of the crime.

"I exceeded the guidelines because of the loss of life and the level of harm was clearly excessive," he said. "And the senseless and callous disregard for human life."

Flores' older brother, Eliezer Flores, spoke of the tragedy that two young lives were lost that night at Mr. Wings & Pizza.

"As a family, we forgive Mr. Butler in our hearts, for no animosity or vengeance can ever return Misael to us," Eliezer Flores said. "Mr. Butler's family can rest assured that no matter the length or magnitude of the sentence, they can see him alive. We do not have that opportunity."

Butler is the first of four defendants to be sentenced in this case.

Over the course of two weeks in November 2010, police arrested and charged Butler; Willie Antonio McLean, 20, and Shawn Anthony Johnson, 19, of Glen Burnie; and Vincent Ethan Bunner, 19, of Pasadena, with the murder of Flores.

See a timeline of the case.

Bunner pleaded guilty to felony murder halfway through his trial in January. He is scheduled to be sentenced Monday. Johnson was found guilty of felony murder in June and is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday.

Johnson and Bunner were arrested in connection with a separate shooting death of Youssef Attia, a 7-Eleven employee who was killed during a botched robbery in August 2010.

Bunner pleaded guilty in January to the murder of Attia. Johnson is scheduled to stand trial for Attia's death in August.

McLean—who agreed to testify against Butler, Bunner and Johnson as part of a plea agreement—will stand trial in October.

At the request of defense attorney Donald Daneman, Wachs referred Butler to the Patuxent Institution’s Youth Program in Jessup. The program's primary focus is developmental, with the goal of assisting the youthful offenders in their transition to viable adult development, according to the Maryland Department of Safety and Correctional Services website.

"I hope that they can use whatever resources they have so that when you are released that this type of event would not occur at any point in the future," Wachs said.