A La Mesa man was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison Friday for the 2011 murder of a taxi cab driver.

Demetrius Sissac, 21 -- a known gang member – was convicted of murdering taxi driver Jalaludin Hamrah in Lemon Grove on October 30, 2011.

Investigators say Sissac – just 19 years old at the time -- took a ride in Hamrah’s cab and shot him at the end of the ride.

A deputy found Hamrah inside his taxi, which had rolled over and crashed on Main Street in Lemon Grove just before 4 a.m. The deputy called paramedics and soon realized Hamrah had suffered a bullet wound to his upper body.

Sissac had fled the scene, but was arrested a few days later and booked into jail on a murder charge.

Hamrah, originally from Afghanistan, worked for Main Cab Company. He primarily drove his cab in the El Cajon and Lakeside areas.

At Sissac’s sentencing Friday, nearly two years after the fatal shooting, more than a dozen of Sissac’s friends and family members pleaded for a lesser punishment in court.

Sissac’s mother also spoke out, saying how much she misses her son.

“Not having Demetrius home is like a big void in my life right now. It’s like missing a piece of my heart,” his mother said, as Sissac looked down in court.

Sissac was convicted of second-degree murder earlier this year.

