MANCHESTER –– Tyrese Harris, 23, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison by Honorable Judge Diane Nicolisi on charges of second-degree murder, reckless conduct, and falsifying physical evidence.
The conviction followed a fatal road rage incident that ended in the death of Dezmel Cardakovic.
Harris was found guilty by a jury in July. He appeared in court donning an orange Hillsborough County House of Corrections jumpsuit, flanked by his defense team. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and the defense counsel read out proposed sentences.
The prosecution sought a sentence of 32 1/2 years to life for second-degree murder and 3 1/2 to 7 years for falsifying physical evidence, recommending these to be served consecutively.
Prosecutors highlighted Harris’s dishonesty to the police about the shooting, the still missing gun, and his violent response to perceived disrespect. They cited a jailhouse call in which Harris stated, “Disrespect gets your life taken.”
Family and friends of the victim, Dezmel Cardakovic, provided emotional victim impact statements.
They recounted Cardakovic’s survival of war and concentration camps in Bosnia, his role as a father, and the continuous impact his violent death has caused. Harris fatally shot Cardakovic on South Willow Street in a road rage incident.
Harris’s family and supporters pleaded for leniency in prepared statements.
They cited Harris’s lack of a significant criminal record, his young age, his involvement in programs while incarcerated, and his young daughter.
