A man who has been free on bond for the past nine years after his first conviction was overturned for a 2008 murder in Deer Park was sentenced late Wednesday to 25 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

Although Cameron Michael Moon was finally held accountable for his actions, Ogg noted that the case has languished in the appellate courts for years.

“Lawyers face deadlines every day,” Ogg said. “Appellate courts should have them as well for criminal cases, and this case shows exactly why. No family should have to wait 16 years for justice.”

Moon, then a 16-year-old Deer Park resident, fatally shot Christopher Seabreak, another Deer Park teen, on July 18, 2008.

Moon was arrested and certified to stand trial as an adult. Two years after the shooting, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

After the conviction, attorneys for Moon successfully argued that the certification process was not thorough enough, and his conviction was overturned. His attorneys argued that the case should be dismissed, but instead, Moon was certified again to stand trial as an adult in 2015.

Moon, who had served about seven years behind bars, was freed on bail in 2015, and his attorneys continued to file appeals, which postponed the re-trial for years.

Earlier this year, the case was set for trial, and a jury was selected on June 28. Moon was convicted a week later. After a brief punishment phase on Wednesday, jurors handed down a 25-year sentence. The jury heard evidence that Moon was arrested for driving while intoxicated while on free on bond. He must serve at least half of the sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Caird, who is the division chief over the Appellate Division of the DA’s Office, prosecuted the case with ADA Sarah Seeley, who is the division chief over the Homicide Division.

“There was a whole team of people who worked on this case, and we are all grateful that we were able to bring Christopher Seabreak’s family a resolution and justice after all these years,” Caird said. “We hope this will be the end of their legal saga.”

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