A teen from New York City was sentenced to 10 to life in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to shooting an 11-year-old girl in the stomach during a gang-related shootout in the Bronx.
Matthew Godwin, who was 15 at the time of the shooting and is now 18, was sentenced to second-degree murder in the death of 11-year-old Kyhara Tay, according to a news release from Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
A police investigation discovered that on May 16, 2022, Godwin and Omar Bojang, 21, were riding on an electric scooter driven by Bojang in the Bronx, looking for a rival gang member.
Bojang drove the scooter onto the sidewalk and identified their 13-year-old male target.
Godwin, holding a handgun, fired two shots from the scooter. One of the rounds hit Tay, who was waiting outside a nail salon for her friends. According to the district attorney, she died that night at a nearby hospital.
Bojang pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on March 6 and is scheduled to be sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release on May 14, according to a news release from the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
“Kyhara never had the opportunity to grow up. “She was an innocent 11-year-old girl who was killed when the defendant, who was 15 at the time, began shooting at a 13-year-old boy,” Clark said in a statement. “Her death is a profound tragedy, especially considering the ages of everyone involved.”
More than two years after Tay’s death, her mother says the pain her family feels as a result of Tay’s absence has caused them to become angry, sleepless, anxious, and depressed, according to amNew York.
“You denied her the opportunity to graduate, fall in love, and live her life – they took away all of her dreams,” Tay’s mother stated in court, according to the outlet.
According to the local outlet, Godwin’s attorney argued in court that he has expressed remorse for the killing and has made efforts to improve his life.
“I sincerely apologize for what I did and the pain I have caused you. “I’m also extremely disappointed in myself, and I accept full responsibility,” Godwin told Tay’s family. “I never meant to hurt your little girl. I am deeply sorry, and I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.”
According to amNewYork, Bojang expressed remorse in court for the killing. “I sincerely apologize.” The loss and pain I caused to families was unimaginable and relentless. “I just want to contribute to society,” he said.
The district attorney praised Tay’s family for turning their “pain into purpose” by speaking out against gun violence.
“Today’s sentence is the culmination of justice, but it is not the end of Kyhara’s life story,” Clark stated in a press release. “Through their voice, Kyhara’s legacy will live on.”
He should have gotten life. Seriously.