A Selma man was sentenced to 35 years in prison Tuesday in a Dallas County courtroom for a 2012 Christmas Day murder in Orrville.

Dallas County Circuit Judge Jack Meigs handed down Andrae Stallworth’s sentence.

Stallworth was convicted by a Dallas County jury in early May of shooting 33-year-old Maurice Rayford to death outside of Eddie’s Bar and Grill on Dallas County Road 115.

“He needs to pack his suitcase because he is going off to prison for a long time,” said Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. “This stiff sentence will help bring closure to the Rayford family.”

The murder trial went on for three days before a panel of jurors struck a guilty verdict.

According to incident reports, deputies responded to Eddie’s Bar and Grill around 2:30 a.m. Christmas Day in 2012.

When deputies arrived on scene Rayford’s body was lying in the parking lot of the bar covered up with a sheet.

The shooting happened after an argument between Rayford and Stallworth about Monica Rayford, Maurice’s sister and Stallworth’s ex-girlfriend.

According to statements made by witnesses, Maurice Rayford told Stallworth that his sister was not going to fight Stallworth’s girlfriend.

Witnesses said Stallworth’s girlfriend was mad at Monica because she was talking to Stallworth at the bar throughout the night.

“She came over to me because she saw Andrae talking to me,” Monica Rayford said in her statement to investigators.

“My brother then walked up and told me to get in the car [and] that no one was going to fight.”

According to the incident report, Monica Rayford and Stallworth had a child together.

Witnesses said Stallworth went to his car after Maurice told him no one was going to fight and grabbed a gun from underneath the seat. Stallworth then shot Maurice multiple times with a handgun, killing him.

“My brother walked toward me and fell at my feet,” Monica said in her statement. “Andrae just kept shooting in the air. Andrae then took off real fast.”

Stallworth turned himself into authorities the day after Christmas.

His sentencing came after a pre-sentencing investigation and report that was ordered by Meigs.