The controversial case of Ohio teen Bresha Meadows, who fatally shot her father in the head last year to end what she claimed was his years-long abuse, has come to a close.
In a deal with prosecutors, Bresha, now 15 years old, pleaded guilty on Monday to involuntary manslaughter and will be sentenced to a mental facility for six months, PEOPLE confirms.
The judge also agreed that when she turns 21, Bresha’s conviction will be expunged from her record.
She had been charged in family court with one count of murder in the July 2016 death of her 41-year-old father, Jonathan Meadows, to which she had pleaded “not true,” the family court equivalent of not guilty.
“[Bresha] is going to have a fresh start on her life [after spending] her entire life watching and being subjected to abuse,” her attorney, Ian Friedman, tells PEOPLE. “We’re all very pleased that she’s going to get the gift of a second chance, like all of us deserve to do.”
“She feels so relieved, she really does,” he said soon after the plea was entered. He said it was “the first time I’ve seen her smile, really smile and feel a little bit of optimism.”
Prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment following Monday’s plea, which also raised the ire of Jonathan’s relatives, who have said he is being wrongfully described as abusive.
Friedman says Bresha and her family are “ecstatic” that she will receive treatment. At one point, she faced the possibility she would be tried as an adult, with a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
Source: People |