A 15-year-old who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a cheerleader has learned how many years she'll spend behind bars for the stabbing that took the life of 16-year-old Kayla Green.
"My family is broken and our heart will never mend," said Lavern Green, the victim's mother, as family of the teenage cheerleading captain reacted to the sentencing.
The 15-year-old who admitted to the deadly stabbing was sentenced "for a term of three to nine years," said State Supreme Court Justice Susan Cacace, who clarified that it was a "juvenile sentence."
The teen, who is not being identified due to her age, admitted to stabbing Kayla after a parade celebration in Mount Vernon for the school's basketball team in April 2021. Kayla was rushed to Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, where she died from her injuries.
Another girl, 16 year-old Maniece Simpson, survived after also being knifed. She gave a victim impact statement along with Kayla’s family.
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"This was an intentional, senseless and vicious crime which has caused immeasurable pain," said Assistant Westchester County DA James Bavero.
Police in Mount Vernon said they were able to identify the suspect from a handful of videos that captured the attack. A motive remains unclear.
The defendant addressed the family, sobbing through a statement in which she said "I wish there was more I could do than say I am sorry."
But the victim's family was not buying the girl's apology.
"Three years for a murder is nothing. That's nothing. We have to go to visit a grave to see my niece," said Tasania Rhoden, the victim's aunt. "And meanwhile, there's a young woman who in three years, will be outside skipping."
The family’s attorney vowed to hold school officials and others accountable as well.
"Every party, every system failed. We had a young lady in school, wreaking havoc in the Mount Vernon school system," said Lauren Raysor, the attorney for the Green family. "They were fully aware of what this young lady was doing inside that school and it was a danger to every young person who was in the school, and they did nothing."
The teen who was sentenced will be kept in a juvenile detention center until she is 18 years old. Depending on her behavior, she could be out after that — in three years — and never serve time in state prison.
