A teenager who beat an 88-year-old Second World War veteran to death has been jailed for 20 years. Kenan Adams-Kinard killed Delbert Belton, who was known by locals as 'Shorty' and had fought in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, during a robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in 2013. The 17-year-old and alleged accomplice Demetruis Glenn - who is set to stand trial in March - repeatedly hit the elderly man who was just 5ft tall with a flashlight as he sat in his car. At the time the pair are said to have told their friends they attacked him during a drug deal gone wrong. Scroll down for video . Jailed: Kenan Adams-Kinard, 17, (left) killed Delbert Belton, 88, who was known by locals as 'Shorty' and had fought in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, during a robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in 2013 . The youngster initially pleaded not guilty but changed his mind in January after telling a judge he had gone through a personal 'metamorphosis' since his arrest. According to Spokesman-Review Adams-Kinard read  a lengthy statement asking for forgiveness. He told the Belton family inside court he has grown into a better person since. 'Life is a precious gift, and to know that I have taken the life of another person has severed my spirit,' he said. 'From this day forward, I intend to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life.' Two of Mr Belton's nephews and friend Martha Denison paid tribute to the war hero during sentencing, describing him as as soft-spoken, patriotic and unfailingly kind. Ms Denison said if Adams-Kinard had been looking for money, all he had to do was ask as Shorty would have given it to him. After the incident, Glenn gave himself up immediately to the police, but Adams-Kinard went on the run for four days. The letter said that after purchasing a 'zip of crack cocaine from Shorty,' the teens 'proceeded to sock him'. Hero: Mr Belton was known by local residents as 'Shorty'. He served in Japan and was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 . Emotional: Spokane veteran Delbert Belton was buried with full military honors during a public service . Pallbearers remove Delbert Belton's casket from a hearse during the graveside service . Alleged accomplice: Demetrius Glenn, pictured being led away by an officer, has pleaded not guilty to killing the veteran and is set to face trial in March . 'I took his wallet and another ounce of crack from his pockets,' the letter said, according to the court document. 'He was unconscious so I made sure he was still breathing, and then I took off.' Adams-Kinard's mother, Tracy Adams, pleaded for mercy from Judge Annette Plese and said anyone who knew her son would describe him as 'a sweet kid'. She added that he had a 'good spirit', loved sports and went to church. The judge said it was apparent Adams-Kinard had matured since he first appeared during his time in custody. She told the court: 'You're owning up and taking accountability for your actions. That's what a man does.' He will serve his time in a juvenile detention center until he is 21. When Mr Belton was buried, hundreds gathered at Greenwood Memorial Terrace to bid farewell. Uniformed soldiers joined the mourners and the Reversand Homer Todd told how Mr Belton had fought bravely and was shot in the leg in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, he spent 33 years working for Kaiser Aluminum before retiring in 1982. Chnage of path: The youngster initially pleaded not guilty but changed his mind in January after telling a judge he had gone through a personal 'metamorphosis' since his arrest .
Kenan Adams-Kinard, 17, killed Delbert Belton outside a bar in 2013 .
Repeatedly beat the elderly man with a flashlight in Spokane, Washington .
Changed his plea to guilty in  after going through a 'metamorphosis' in jail .
Told Belton's family he had 'taken the life of another person'
His alleged accomplice Demetrius Glenn will stand trial in March .
Mr Belton was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 .
A teenager who beat an 88-year-old Second World War veteran to death has been jailed for 20 years. Kenan Adams-Kinard killed Delbert Belton, who was known by locals as 'Shorty' and had fought in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, during a robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in 2013. The 17-year-old and alleged accomplice Demetruis Glenn - who is set to stand trial in March - repeatedly hit the elderly man who was just 5ft tall with a flashlight as he sat in his car. At the time the pair are said to have told their friends they attacked him during a drug deal gone wrong. Scroll down for video . Jailed: Kenan Adams-Kinard, 17, (left) killed Delbert Belton, 88, who was known by locals as 'Shorty' and had fought in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, during a robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in 2013 . The youngster initially pleaded not guilty but changed his mind in January after telling a judge he had gone through a personal 'metamorphosis' since his arrest. According to Spokesman-Review Adams-Kinard read  a lengthy statement asking for forgiveness. He told the Belton family inside court he has grown into a better person since. 'Life is a precious gift, and to know that I have taken the life of another person has severed my spirit,' he said. 'From this day forward, I intend to turn the page and start a new chapter in my life.' Two of Mr Belton's nephews and friend Martha Denison paid tribute to the war hero during sentencing, describing him as as soft-spoken, patriotic and unfailingly kind. Ms Denison said if Adams-Kinard had been looking for money, all he had to do was ask as Shorty would have given it to him. After the incident, Glenn gave himself up immediately to the police, but Adams-Kinard went on the run for four days. The letter said that after purchasing a 'zip of crack cocaine from Shorty,' the teens 'proceeded to sock him'. Hero: Mr Belton was known by local residents as 'Shorty'. He served in Japan and was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 . Emotional: Spokane veteran Delbert Belton was buried with full military honors during a public service . Pallbearers remove Delbert Belton's casket from a hearse during the graveside service . Alleged accomplice: Demetrius Glenn, pictured being led away by an officer, has pleaded not guilty to killing the veteran and is set to face trial in March . 'I took his wallet and another ounce of crack from his pockets,' the letter said, according to the court document. 'He was unconscious so I made sure he was still breathing, and then I took off.' Adams-Kinard's mother, Tracy Adams, pleaded for mercy from Judge Annette Plese and said anyone who knew her son would describe him as 'a sweet kid'. She added that he had a 'good spirit', loved sports and went to church. The judge said it was apparent Adams-Kinard had matured since he first appeared during his time in custody. She told the court: 'You're owning up and taking accountability for your actions. That's what a man does.' He will serve his time in a juvenile detention center until he is 21. When Mr Belton was buried, hundreds gathered at Greenwood Memorial Terrace to bid farewell. Uniformed soldiers joined the mourners and the Reversand Homer Todd told how Mr Belton had fought bravely and was shot in the leg in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, he spent 33 years working for Kaiser Aluminum before retiring in 1982. Chnage of path: The youngster initially pleaded not guilty but changed his mind in January after telling a judge he had gone through a personal 'metamorphosis' since his arrest .
years. Kenan Adams-Kinard killed Delbert Belton, robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in trial in March - repeatedly hit the elderly man Jailed: Kenan Adams-Kinard, 17, (left) killed in 1945, during a robbery outside a bar in Spokane, Washington, in 2013 . The youngster through a personal 'metamorphosis' since his taken the life of another person has severed my shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa in graveside service . Alleged accomplice: Demetrius until he is 21. When Mr Belton was buried,