GA Teen Faces 140 Year Sentence for Voluntary Manslaughter

17-year-old Damia Mitchell from Gwinnett, GA received a remarkable 140 year prison sentence on Monday for a 2021 Valentine’s Day shooting. WSB-TV reports that Mitchell’s family have protested the veracity of the accusation, insisting that without any previous records, Damia’s life sentence is cruel and unjustified. As of Monday, the family stated plans to protest outside the courthouse today.

Police claim Mitchell arrived at the Dacula home of an ex-girlfriend whom she had texted saying she “planned to shoot up her house and jump her,” WSB-TV states, and accompanied by four other girls, she shot into the building up to 19 times. The ex-girlfriend was not home, but Newsweek states the ex’s friend Faith Burns was, resulting in Burns’ death.

The collateral nature of the victim meant Mitchell wasn’t charged with murder, but she was found “guilty of voluntary manslaughter, three counts of aggravated assault, and eight counts of street gang terrorism,” Newsweek continues. Georgia law requires a jail sentence of 5 to 15 years for criminal gang activity, and can also involve a fine of $10,000-$15,000. WSB-TV adds that the jury found Mitchell not guilty of carrying a gun, allowing her to avoid two other gang charges.

WSB-TV concludes by reporting that the other four girls incriminated in the shooting have not yet gone to trial.