A 15-year-old girl from New York was issued a sentence of three to nine years on Tuesday after submitting a guilty plea over lethally stabbing a peer.
The girl’s name was not disclosed because she is only fifteen years old.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s office released information regarding the sentencing, stating that the girl had pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter for the deadly stabbing of Kayla Green, who was 16 years old at the time of her death.
“A teenage defendant senselessly took the life of Kayla Green, and in doing so, left a community devastated. As a family and the Mount Vernon community remain in mourning, I want to reiterate my commitment to working with our vital community partners for meaningful violence prevention and intervention, especially for our youth,” District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said.
“I know that nothing can cure the pain of losing a child. My Office will do what it can within the bounds of New York’s laws to seek accountability in these cases,” Rocah added.
The incident took place on April 8, 2022, when the 15-year-old stabbed Kayla Green after a school event became violent, according to the DA’s office.
According to NBC News, the day included a parade at Mount Vernon High School. A fight started with some of the cheerleaders following the off-campus events, the former Mount Vernon City School Superintendent, Kenneth Hamilton, reportedly said in April.
Green was stabbed with a knife in the abdomen and was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where it was determined that she was deceased.
The 15-year-old will be held in NYC Office of Children and Family Services’ custody until she turns eighteen. She will then be transferred to the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the DA office also reportedly stated.
Ahead of the sentencing, the defendant said she was sorry for what she had done.
“I am sorry my actions took away a big sister. I am sorry my actions took away a daughter,” she said, per Lohud.com.
“I think of all the different choices I could have made that day that would have left Kayla alive and saved her family this heartache. But that is why everyone is here today, because I made bad choices,” she stated.
Green’s mother, Lavern Gordon, also spoke out.
“Justice did not occur today. Mockery did,” Gordon said. “My family is broken and our heart will never mend from this loss of my daughter.”
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