A 14-year-old boy, who was 13 at the time of the incident, has been sentenced to four years in juvenile detention for the murder of 17-year-old Hailey Stephens, a fatal casualty of a shower of bullets at a house party last November. According to
FOX 10 Phoenix
, the young perpetrator from Coolidge will remain in custody until his 18th birthday.
The sentencing, which took place yesterday, left Hailey’s friends and family expressing their dissatisfaction with the legal outcome. “You took the life of somebody and you get to walk free while they don’t,” said Georgia Kaliotzakis, a friend of the victim. Meanwhile, another friend, Kylie Mendoza, who was also injured in the shooting, said, “Justice I feel like for all of us is a lifetime sentence,” indicating a sense of loss that extends beyond the confines of legal retribution, according to
FOX 10 Phoenix
.
At the trial, the grief of Vanessa Stephens, Hailey’s mother, was palpable as she described her daughter as a “vibrant, determined girl” and grappled with the harsh reality presented in court. “The prosecution had to convince me as well. It’s really hard to swallow that a 13-year-old [could do this],” Vanessa told
AZ Family
. As Arizona law stipulates, the young offender could not be tried as an adult, setting a limit on the possible length of his sentence.
Despite the court’s decision, Vanessa emphasized that there would be no closure for her, expressing that her grief is permanent: “There is no closure. This grief will stay with me until the day I die,” she told
AZ Family
. The Stephens family has since established the Hailey Lynn Stephens Foundation in memory of their daughter – the foundation offers scholarships to students of Casa Grande Union High School to assist with college expenses. A memorial balloon release will be held on November 23 at the high school to commemorate Hailey’s life.
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