Man sentenced to 28 years for fatally stabbing man who spat on his BMW

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Facing decades in prison, Teddy Baltimore Smith passed on apologizing to the family of the man he killed for spitting on his car. Instead, he chose to blame the victim for provoking him.

"He pulled up on me and spit on me, know what I'm saying? After I asked him please not to do that, I don't know how come he did that, " questioned Smith.

In August, a jury convicted Smith of killing Gilbert Serna for spitting out of a truck window. Serna was the passenger in this utility truck when he spat out the window and it landed on Smith's black BMW.

At his sentencing Thursday, Smith spent more than 15 minutes re-trying his case, going over details of the crime to the judge,

Eventually, the victim's sister, Rosalinda Serna, had enough and walked away.

Earlier, the prosecutor read a statement from Rosalinda.

"Because of you, my family will never share precious moments. Nothing you receive will ever bring him back to us. Because of you, there will always be a big part of my heart missing," wrote Serna.

Jeffrey Hunter, who was driving Serna, remembers Smith confronting Serna and the men arguing. Then Smith got a knife.

"When he stuck him with the knife, he had his hand up on the truck, you know, when you lean on something?" described Hunter.

It didn't take the jury long to convict Smith of manslaughter. Prosecutors asked the judge to lock him up for up to 25 years. The judge gave him 28.

Smith, however, had the last word.

"You gave me 28 years?" Smith cried out as he was taken away in handcuffs.