Teen Stabs Boyfriend: Families Clash in Court

I'll use I'll use Miss Miss Je Mom. I'm going to use Mom. >> It's okay. >> I'm Judge. So, for the um limited purposes, if you don't mind, I'll just have Miss Jean stand here. Um can you please state your name for the record? >> Hi, good morning. My name is Natalie Jean. Miss Jean, you're going to be placed under to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing truth. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Um, Miss Jean, I'm showing you or can you spell your name out for the record just for the corporate brand of clerks? >> It's N A T H A L I E. Middle initial is L. Last name Jean like Jean Pens. >> Um, can you tell the judge? I know she's going to hear from you later, but who exactly you are and how you're related to the victim in this case? >> Okay. I'm Yakim's law mother. Um I am showing you um a screenshot of what has been um previously marked and identified as states exhibit 1A. Um can you tell the court um what this is? Um this was a text message that was provided to me from one of his um his classmates. It actually came from the boy that um Jiaro was dating and she want he wanted me to know that um he wanted the classmate to show me that she does have a history of that. So they forward it to me and I provided it to the detective. >> Okay. And that classmate what's his name? >> Um his the one whose son >> was that you took a screenshot. Oh, the screenshot was um his name was Ted and then he forwarded to um he gave it to Cece so Cece could know to give it to me and then I for gave it to the detective. >> And CeCe is the young girl who's sitting in back in the courtroom that you just >> Yes. >> Um and Ted was a previous um uh boyfriend of the defendant. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And this is a screenshot from his phone? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Are you familiar with iPhones? >> Yes, I am. >> Okay. So, um, the blue text messages are who >> are, um, his iPhone. From him, I'm sorry. >> And the gray text messages are from who? >> Jiara. >> And, um, I think the the C up here where it says at the top, Crybaby. Um, is that the contact in his phone? >> Yeah, that was the the contact he had her save under. >> Okay. Um, and is this a fair and accurate representation of that text message um that you were provided um by Cece and that he took a screenshot of? >> Yes. Okay. I'm judge. At this time, the state would seek to introduce what has been previously marked as states exhibit 1A. Um, as states exhibit one for the purposes of sentencing. Um, I think the foundation has been sufficiently made. >> Mr. H. >> Judge, I would be objecting just based upon one um With all due respect, I don't think there has been no verification indicating as that is a communication that was taking place between my client and this third or fourth person. And so therefore, that's the problem with it. Um just based upon the testimony that was just represented right now. And so that's >> okay. Okay, we are in a sentencing hearing, so the rules of evidence are laxed and I'll give it whatever weight we But I'm going to overrule the objection and I'll allow it to be admitted for the court's consideration. >> Thank you, Judge. >> Be admitted as part of exhibit. >> Um, judge, I know that there is a doctor waiting, so I do have 10 witnesses, so I'll support it. >> You said that there was no issue with that. >> Um, so at this point, the state is going to call um lost my list. Sorry. Oh, here we go. Sorry. Um, I believe the first person that wants to speak on behalf of the family is Miss Zelda. Good afternoon, Miss Please come forward. We're going to be placed under oath. >> Please reach. Do you sound to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing? >> I do. >> Good afternoon. >> Whenever you're ready to >> Yes, ma'am. >> Good morning, honor. Can anybody can everybody hear me clearly? My name is Eldrina Bum. I'm one of four of the patern paternal aunts of Yakim L. I'm writing this victim impact statement to express to you how much I have been impacted by Jiara Malik murdering him. Your honor, my father, >> I ask that you please be patient with me. This is the toughest thing I have ever had to do in my life. During these court proceedings, as a family, we had to sit there and watch her smirk in the courtroom, show no remorse, and being Yaim's aunt. It's re it was really hard for me and for my family. Okay. I remember the day when he was a baby and he came home from the hospital. I took my nephew David Jr. and my niece Amati Lawler, who are his siblings, to see him. He was the sweetest little baby I have ever seen. I gazed at him as he laid there, as innocent and as sweet as he could be. And there's still a part of me that sees him like that. Kahim as we were as we affectionately call him Kimo as we affectionately call him has always been a bright light in our family. Even during the dark times when we experienced great losses of the people we loved in our family, he was a jokester. He always brought levity to whatever ne negative situation we had in our family. He was the one that you could always he going to make you laugh no regardless of the situation. He made me so proud to be his aunt. Not just because he was an excellent student athlete, but because he was a very loving and thoughtful and caring type of person. He always thought of others and cared about their well-being, even going out of his way to share clothing and shoes with his friends who were less fortunate. I remember when my auntie Elena had this family function at her house commemorating the life of my deceased mother who passed away on June 15, 2021. So this was 3 years after her passing. We were at the function celebrating just in her memory. My brothers were grilling on the charcoal grill chicken and barbecue ribs while our favorite music was pumping through the speakers. Some family members were swimming in the back pool backyard pool. Others were singing and dancing and just sitting around conversing with each other. We were just creating great family memories. He was there mixing mixing it up with the family and eating and laughing and having a great time. When I was leaving the function, he called out my name. When I turned around, he screamed out to me, telling me goodbye. He had a big smile on his face. I'll never forget that. I was thinking to myself, "My nephew is not a baby anymore. He's a growing young man." I smiled back at him, but inside I was crying, knowing that he would HAVE TO GO OUT INTO THIS CRUEL, cruel world and create a life for himself. He used to come with his father, who is my brother, and help me put up hurricane shutters at my house whenever a storm was looming. He used to come with his father to help me out in the backyard with my vegetable garden. He was always around to help me with whatever I was doing. The older I get, the loss of that physical assistance that he offered to me is is missed. I used to say to him, "New, when I'm a little old lady sitting on the bus stop in the hot sun and you drive by in your expensive new car, please pick me up and give me a ride home." And he said, he laugh, he would laugh and he would say, "Auntie, I would never let you sit on a bus stop and not take you home." And that was him. He cared for people. He loved people. Then I would say, "Okay, baby. He would then smile and continue whatever mischief he was engaging in. Now, because of Jahara Malik's actions, I must go through life knowing that I will never see the full potential of what he could have been in his life. I won't get phone calls from him excitedly telling me things about his future plans for his life. I won't be able to give him advice about whatever's going on in his life. I will never have a chance to see him graduate from high school, college. He wanted TO BE A STOCK BROKER AND HE WAS ON his way. I won't ever see him create a family of his own or accomplish the many milestones of his life that he was going to accomplish BECAUSE HE WAS JUST THAT AWESOME. He will never be able to go on another camping trip with me. He will never be there again to help me put those those heavy hurricane shutters up on my windows whenever we're getting a hurricane. I won't have this strong young man in my family to help me lift heavy bags of soil or fertilizers for my garden, which provided nourishment for my family. I will no longer have him to wrap his arms around me and kiss me ON MY CHEEK AND TELL ME HOW MUCH HE LOVES ME. As his aunt, I will no longer BE ABLE TO REACH INTO MY BAG AND PLACE A PIECE OF CANDY OR A $20 BILL IN HIS HAND SO that he could get himself some sweet treats or chicken wings and fries like he liked. I WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO SEE TO TELL HIM HOW PROUD I AM OF HIM OF BEING THE PERSON THAT HE HAS BECOME AND HOW MUCH OF AN ASSET HE IS TO OUR FAMILY. My son will not have him as a speaker at my funeral. He will not BE THERE TO CONSOLE my son when my life is over. I will no LONGER BE ABLE TO LOOK AT HIS FRESH HAIRCUT, fresh new haircut, and tell him THAT HE LOOKS SO HANDSOME. And those girls better watch out because he's and he's be standing there smiling and blushing and telling me, "Oh, auntie, come on. You're doing too much, auntie." No longer having him in my life leaves a hole in my heart and a deficit in my life that could never be filled. I'M GENUINELY MOVING THROUGH THIS LIFE LIKE I am living in the Twilight Zone. LITERALLY BECAUSE NOT IN MY WILDEST DREAMS DID I THINK that my nephew BEING SUCH THE GOOD PERSON THAT HE was would be murdered like this. THIS WORLD TO ME RIGHT NOW IS REALLY UPSIDE DOWN. In all my years of life, NOTHING HAS SHAKEN me to the core like this has. And believe me, I'VE SUFFERED GREAT LOSSES in my life. I really expected my nephew to be looking DOWN INSIDE OF MY CASKET INSTEAD OF ME LOOKING DOWN IN HIS casket because of Jehara Malik. I HAVE A SKEWED VIEW OF THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. AND THAT DIDN'T DO ME. THAT DIDN'T I I WASN'T LIKE THAT WITH MY 32 YEARS AS A POLICE OFFICER WITH THE MIAMI DAY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. NOTHING HAS SKEWED MY VIEW OF THIS LIFE LIKE SHE HAS. My five siblings and I did not anticipate burying one of our babies. Yet here we are living this nightmare. Your honor, it's not fair to us to go through life like this. As a family, we don't even think that 30 years in prison would be enough punishment for her. But we definitely want you to give her the match, your honor. I've always honorably upheld law and order because when I took that o, I took it to heart and I served the streets of Miami honorably. Your honor, I would like to see justice. I would like to see the justice system working my favor and my family's favor. I have given so much and I just ask for the maximum at least for my sacrifices that I've made. Jar Malik, there are many times court proceedings you'll be sitting there smiling and laughing with your family members and showing no remorse to taking for taking my nephew's life. THAT'S IT'S NOT A laughing matter to us. It never has been. It took all we had to just to to STOP FROM JUMPING ACROSS that that thing and doing something to you. >> It will ALWAYS BE A FACT THAT YOU ARE A MURDERER. YOU ARE A DEMON SEED THAT YOUR PARENTS BROUGHT INTO THIS WORLD TO bring suffering on everybody else. Shame on them. When you go TO PRISON, YOUR LIFE will be controlled by prison the prison guards and the inmates. Your dignity will be taken away from you. YOU WILL HAVE TO SHOWER AND URINATE AND DEFECATE IN FRONT OF OTHER INMATES. YOU'LL PROBABLY GET BEAT UP because your slick mouth and your attitude. There are a myriad of different things that could happen to you in there. And you know what we're going TO BE DOING? WE'RE GOING TO BE cheering and saying, "Yeah, she deserved it." If you want somebody to feel sorry for you or to forgive you for what you HAVE DONE, GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO do it. Cuz I will not and we will not. If you was to go to hell, I wouldn't spit on you to put you out. I hope the thoughts of him screaming for help permeates in that smooth surface brain of yours. And the smell of the blood that you shed from MY NEPHEW'S YOUNG BODY HAUNTS you while you sleep and while you're wide awake for the rest of your life. your honor. I apologize if I offended you. And that's the only person who I care about offending. And if I did that, I really apologize to you for that. I'm telling you, honor, this thing has really devastated me. And I apologize. In closing, I know that the things that y'all had to hear from me wasn't an easy thing to hear, but they are true to my heart and to my core. And I just want to urge you again, your honor, I know that the state, you know, is is is requesting like 20 years plus 10 years probation. But we want to see her get the full sentence, the 30, maximum 30 years. That's what we want, your honor, because we really believe that she deserve a whole lot more. There were times we got reports of her going into his classroom, TAKING HIS BOOK BAG, POURING SODA IN HIS BOOK BAG, OR TAKING HIS BOOK BAG AND THROWING IN THE HALLWAY, BULLYING HIM. And he WAS TAUGHT NOT TO HIT GIRLS. And it makes me think, MAYBE WE SHOULD TELL OUR BOYS TO HIT GIRLS BACK. and he didn't DO THAT. AND LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED to him. Again, your honor, I apologize. I know it's not easy listening to me, but I mean it to my heart and thank you so much for listening. >> Miss Rodisha Jean, would you like to speak? Please raise your right hand. You just have to tell the truth. The whole truth. >> I do. Thank you. Y came Lawler was not only a pillar in his community but also MVP athlete. He also was my nephew. I just want to say that he holds a special heart, a special place in our hearts. Sorry, it's hard for me. A special place in our hearts. words can no longer express the pain or the deep sorrow that we feel about his murder. I hear you guys mention him as a victim. Yakim K Lawler was just a victim of love, mistrust, and of course, betrayal. Kimo was a math wiz, a loving brother, a young man with a bright and promising future. His life was taken. Chemo was murdered. Our family relives that every single day. His absence has left a void that can never be filled. We will no longer be able to celebrate holidays without feeling that pain and reliving the trauma, especially New Year's, without feeling the loss of the love, the laughter, and the joy that chemo brings to every one of our lives. Each and every December, we are reminded of the traumatizing moments Jihar and Marle put our family through. 5 days before Christmas, she decided to go to his home, his safe place, 5 days before Christmas, and murder him. His kindness, his trusting nature were taken advantage of in a split second. Sorry. >> It's okay. Take your time. >> In the most devastating way, this pain of his absence is constant. The everlasting. When I look into my niece treasure's eyes or to Mia, I instinctively think Kim's right behind them, expecting to see Kimo beside her for first day pictures or family gatherings. I am met with the pain of having to realize that he's no longer with us. important milestones that were stolen. I'm so sorry. Important milestones that were stolen that we could have celebrated with chemo. Like his 2026 prom pictures, with his classmates, his graduation was stolen from us. the ability to have his first child, his first child or his first drink, the future that he was working so hard towards. An honorable student, never had any disciplinary action, never been arrested. Ya Kane Lawler was literally the epitome of a good child. Yes, ma'am. No ma'am were the words that you would get from him when you speak with Yakim Kain Lawler. He was brought up in a family that way. Yakim Kain Lawler deserves justice. Jiara Malik deserves 30 years. The Jean family deserves justice. The Lawler family deserves justice. Yakim Kawler deserves justice. The only thing he was a victim of was trusting the wrong individual to come downstairs and open the door for her. Trusting the wrong person, loving the wrong person. When have you ever been in love at 16, 17, and had a relationship that was ended for your life to be taken? As a registered behavior therapist in the state of Florida, self-regulation is important. A parent is supposed to install that in their child. They failed her and her actions has caused our entire family irreparable pain. Nothing, no amount of money, no amount of time you give her will take the pain away that we all feel when we do not have, you know, our lives. And I'm being completely honest when I tell you this. He was a beautiful bright soul. His smile light up any room he walk into. And he mattered. victim this, victim that. The only thing he was a victim of was placing his love and his trust into the wrong trifling young lady. Not even a young lady, the murderer, cuz she is a murderer. Everyone keeps saying stab, stab, stab. She murdered him. Cold blood. When someone says no, no means no. The video shows that as well. She deserves the max. Your honor, next we're going to have tango. to tell the truth the whole truth. >> Yes. >> Yeah. Uh Kim was my godson. As I stand here today carrying a loss that cannot be measured and a pain that will never heal. Kimmo as we affectionately called him and will forever remember him was 17 years old. A young black boy that has grown into a young man who we all love. full of dreams and life that life was tragically stolen from him. His absence is permanent. It is forever and it does not affect just one person. It has left an entire family, a circle of friends and a community carrying the unbearable weight of this tragedy. At the age of 17, a person understands the difference between right and wrong. This was not a mistake. This was a decision to take a life, a life that had immeasurable value and deserve to be lived. There must be accountability. We are outraged by this devastating and senseless act and we are completely broken. I hosted Kimo's eighth grade promatch and every time I see his picture from that night, whether it was on the news or social media, it breaks me to it breaks me to the core. Kino was so fly. Him and another kid that I can't even remember his name right now. And we was calling them Bobby Brown and just having such a great time. All the kids was laughing full of joy and talking about how they was going to arrive for a 12th grade prom in helicopters. They was already talking about how much fun that they were going to have their life and things that they wanted to do after high school. But instead of watching him walk into a senior prom, we are faced with decorating the top of his grave site. Instead of seeing him put on his cap and gown and walk across the stage to shake the principal's hand to receive his high school diploma that he earned. We will be faced with the pain of making a makeshift graduation, draping his grave site with his cap and gown and placing his high school diploma on top of it because someone in this courtroom today decided that Kimo's life didn't matter. All of Kimmo's dreams are now forever 17. Yeah. Your honor, I respectfully ask you to consider the full death and lasting impact of this loss and impose the maximum sentence. Thank you for your time. Justice for chemo. Your honor, next we will have Stephanie Daryus. >> Do you want to tell the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth? >> I do. Good afternoon, your honor. My name is Marie Stephanie Darus and I am the maternal aunt of Yakim Kimol Lawler. Thank you for taking the time out to listen to me today. It truly means more than I could put into words. I can still remember the day my older sister Natalie gave birth to Yakim. We were actually in the middle of planning her baby shower. I can remember the excitement and happiness she felt to be having a to be having a baby boy. When she called me and said she had gone into labor, I was a little shocked, but nevertheless, my sisters and I, we all rushed to the hospital to be by her side. When we walked in the room, I remember her just smiling despite everything, saying, "You have to see how cute he is." In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was pure love, pure happiness welcoming Yake into this world. My brother-in-law, David, took us down to the niku to see him. I remember thinking, "How adorable is this kid?" Even then, there was something special about him. Something you could feel the moment you looked at him. It's moments like that I will never forget. So small, so simple, yet the kind that stay with you forever. Like the first time I seen his smile, that smile, the one I'll never forget. Yakim had such a beautiful smile. You know the kind of smile that made you smile back? Even as he grew up, he kept that same smile. He would run up to me with the biggest smile and always say the same thing. Hi, Auntie Stephanie. Followed by the warmest hug every single time I seen him. Even as he got older, the love never stopped. He was truly a blessing and such a beautiful soul. And that was our chemo. From the time he was a baby, that was who he was. And I'm honored as well as my sisters to have had the privilege of watching him grow into amazing young man. And I'm so proud to be his auntie. His presence touched not just our family but everyone around him as you can see in this courtroom here today. But now our light is gone and we're left asking why. Why was he taken from us? Every day we are left of trying to make sense of something that will never make sense. We are not grieving only who we lost, but everything he was meant to become. And I want it to be known. I'm not standing here today out of anger. I'm standing here seeking justice for someone who meant the world to all of us. Someone who is deeply loved, someone who mattered and should still be here with us today. And that is why I respectfully ask for the maximum sentence of 30 years. I do understand that nothing will ever bring Kimmo back, but accountability matters. She must be held responsible for her actions. Justice for Yakim is more than words. It means ensuring that his life is not overlooked, and that the full weight of what was taken from him and from all of us is recognized. A sentence like this affirms that his life had value, that he mattered, and that what happened to him carries real consequence. also making certain that she carries the weight of what she has done today. Not only today, but for the rest of her life. Though the pain of losing Yakim will never fully go away, we will continue to honor his legacy. We will cherish his memory and hold on to the love that he gave all of us and the light he brought into our lives. Long live Kimmo. He will forever be in our hearts, a life taken too soon. Thank you for your time and allowing me to speak, ma'am. Thank you. Next we have Casey Beach which will be followed by tell >> uh good afternoon. My name is Casey. Um, Kimo Zaku, ever since Kimmo was a little little baby, you know, they spent a lot of time with me, my mother, my family, and he was always such a joy to be be around. have been, you know, he took an immediate liking to playing football. He played football for the helping hand Bulls at Holinda Park. I remember going to the park every Saturday watching Kimo take that ball from quarterback run through the line and nobody could catch him. I just knew. I just knew for sure that, you know, Kimo was going. Everyone knew that he was going to be somewhere. He was going to be a professional athlete at very least. Going to Tra Power to see him play for Miami Northwestern senior high. the same thing taking that ball from the quarterback running it to to a touchdown and today I'm in a different arena trying to defend my nephew defend his honor. I could never ever ever believe that I I would be here today. But you know through that callous and careless actions of an individual that didn't give care about anyone but herself. And it's evident in the in the video after she stabbed him. She Oh, what happened? What if he's alive? What if he's dead? What what happened? She was thinking about herself. She didn't care about chemo. I don't believe she um took any actions to save his life. The action she could have taken to save his life was leave that kitchen knife in the drawer at home and not take it with you to go see him. I carried a knife for protection. It's not a kitchen knife. It's a pocketk knife. And for as far as it being a horse playing, I never played that game in school. Never played it on any playgrounds. It it wasn't horse play. Especially after she said she got mad. She got mad. That's when the play stopped. They were no longer playing. Kimmo was like, "Please, stop. Stop. Don't Don't do it." And she took that knife and she plunged it into his heart. He did walk into it. He She plunged into his heart. Four inches of knife going through his ribs through straight through his heart. I know he suffered. He suff he he like he was he he he was testifying today that he didn't he didn't attack her. He didn't do I I believe I believe he keep not a mean kid. He was a great kid but he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve it. But I can tell you this that Jihara deserve the maximum. You are right over your head. We who labor here seek only truth. That statement instills tr it it it inrudes faith and fidelity that discord has integrity. And the only the only truth here today is Jihara meant to kill chemo. chemo is dead and his attacker deserve the maximum 30 years and even more. When we're this is this family's second time in this court asking for justice for someone who killed our family member. My father was killed in 1999 and in the same court we came we sought justice and we got justice. We and I please your honor I I beg you give us that same measure of justice that my father's killer got in this same court. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Next is Ran Daryus then to be followed by Lawler Jr. Please raise your right hand. Do you sign to tell the truth of fifth and alleged? >> Yeah, I do. >> Good afternoon, Y. >> My name is Desan Daryus. I'm here to talk about my cousin Kimmo and his impact he had on me and my family. Kimo brought life into people lives. He respected everyone and never would try to do anything to dishonor you or make you feel uncomfortable. Since my cousin passing, my family has had many regrets. For me, it was wishing I had more time with my cousin. The last time I see him, I said, "I'll see you next time I come to Miami." The next time I see my cousin was at his funeral. This loss has changed everything in me. It's broken my family apart. This is a permanent wid and chemo is a permanent wid. But it's not his fault. His life was taken from me by somebody I had no Birthdays, holidays would never be the same without my cousin. He died a day before my little brother birthday, 2 days before my 2 days before my uncle's birthday and 5 days before his father's chemo mattered and his life should be respected. With that being said, I respectfully ask the court to consider the full weight of the loss and impose the maximum pendency. Thank you. >> Next, we have Darede Mer Jr. to be followed by Sarah. Mr. Please have to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing truth. >> I do. >> I said you excuse my voice. Please. >> It's okay. Take your time. >> Yeah. Uh, I can say a lot about my my younger brother, you know, more specifically about the day we met, but I won't do that cuz I don't want to deal with that right now. I can say one day, you know, like I say, my family said he was good at football. I remember one day I had left my own practice and I made sure I made an admission to go see his football game cuz he had one on the Friday, which is very unusual for me. And I got I got there at the later part of the game and my like they said, my brother was a superstar and when it when it was when it came to football, nobody came close to him and I say that with all honesty. I go and I see my brother. His last play of the game, he had the football, you know, he did what he did. He scored. But this was this wasn't just any regular touchdown for him. It was, you know, well, for me and him, he I can't I'm um he did what he did. He scored. But after he scored, I remember him running off and running to the sideline. And I was only there for like 2 minutes. He ran and he jumped in my arms. And that was one of many moments where it felt like it was just us in the world. Nothing else mattered. And from that day forward, from days before that, I just remember him in that moment, still being that same baby I saw when I was four years old. The first day I met him. And um I said that see today I stand here carrying the weight that my family has been forced to bear since the day my brother was taken from us. He was only 17 years old, still growing, still learning, still becoming the person he was meant to be. That future was stolen from him and from all of us. My brother will never graduate, never build a career, never have a family of his own. He won't get the chance to laugh at old memories, to make norms, or to experience the simple moments in life that so many of us take for granted. Every milestone we reach as a family is now marked by his absence. This loss has deeply affected us in many ways that are hard to fully put into words. There's an emptiness in our homes that will never and could never be filled. Holidays, birthdays, and even ordinary days feel incomplete. My brother was a sunshine. He was the sun, not the real sun. He was the complete sun. He could light up any room. He could brighten any day. He can make any sad day a great day. He can make any sad a great one. My In my eyes, my brother was perfect no matter what. In all their odds, my brother was perfect. My brother wasn't disrespectful. My brother wasn't rude. My brother was kind. Like they said, my brother would give you to shut off his back. He didn't care if you could fit it or not. You mattered to him. Everyone mattered to him. No matter what you did, you matter. You were a human to him. And that's all that that's what we asked for you today. I'm sorry. Um, my family has to learn how to live with grief that doesn't go away. It just becomes part of who we are. We are not the same people we were once before. There's a constant a constant reminder that someone we love should still be here. An everlasting yearning for someone who will never come back to us. We stand before you today asking that you grant the maximum penalty because from now until forever more long after her sentence is over, all we can do is speak his name, remember who he was, and honor the life that he should have had. He mattered. He was loved. And he the chance he deserved the chance to live his life. That would be all y. Thank you. >> Okay. Next up, Sierra Har. There's going to be a few coming up. Please, please answer to tell the truth of the truth. Yes. Thank you. Dear Jar Malik, you killed our friend. And there is not a single day that goes by where the truth doesn't press down on our chest. There is no absolute way to dress that up. There is no version of this where damage fades into something smaller. A life was taken. Our friend was taken. And some people who love who love Kim is left to carry what you did every single day. We all wake up and remember. We fall asleep and remember. Sometimes it hit us out of nowhere in the middle of a song, a laugh, a random memory, and suddenly we're all grieving all over again. Our friend should be here. Kimmo should be here. He should be living, growing older, graduating with us, going to prom, chasing his dreams, making mistakes, healing, dreaming. Instead, there is a hole where a whole person used to be, a hole that'll forever exist because of you. The amount of time that they give you is the number that you deserve. Even though the number might feel abstract to you right now, to us time stopped the day our friend died. Birthdays, ordinary moments, laughter that all should still exist. But instead, those were taken. That loss doesn't end with a sentence. It lives on in us. People may talk about that like this the end of the story. It's not. Their time will be measured in years and walls and routines. Our time is measured in absence and holidays that feel wrong and conversations that we would that would never happen. In moments where we reach for someone who will never answer again. We are still hurt. We are angry. We are grieving. Someone who should be here isn't because of your actions. That is the truth. Whether you choose to face it or not, grief has changed us. All of us. It has hardened places of us and exhausted parts of us. We have to carry something that we didn't choose, something we cannot put down. I'm saying we because I'm speaking on behalf of all of his friends. I am not writing to comfort you. I am not writing to forgive you. I am writing so that you know that our pain is not silent. I am writing this because our friend mattered because his life was not disposable. Because silence will feel like we're let we're feeling will feel like we're letting him disappear and we refuse to do that. I hope you sit with what you did. Not just the headline, not just the charge, but the human cost. The people left behind. The love that had nowhere to go. The damage that keep echoing long after the moment you made your choice. There is nothing you can do to bring our friend back. Nothing will make this right. But denying the depth of what you caused will only make it worse. So I just want to let you know that this pain is real. Our friend was real. and that this is proof that he isn't forgotten. And so you know that what you did had weight, consequence, and human cost beyond yourself. You are a murderer. We will carry our grief in our own way, but you will also carry your responsibility in yours. We want the max respectfully. Thank you. Your honor, I'm going to offer a few comments, but I'm also going to call the parents up. They will be speaking next. >> They're the last two minutes. >> Good afternoon, your honor. My name is Melvin Pearson, and I'm councel on behalf of the Next of Canon. As you know, I have spent my career in the courtroom. I have prosecuted homicides. I have evaluated the weight of sentences. And I understand what this moment means both legally as well as humanly. I am here today not just as Kimo's attorney. I am here because I know this family and because I believe that what this court does in the next few minutes matters. not just for them, but as a statement about what we value. Your honor, you have heard from his aunt, a 32-year law enforcement veteran who devoted her life to this system and is now asking for it to work for her family. You have heard from his classmates, young people who should not yet know this kind of grief, who found the words to say, "Our friend was real and he mattered." You have heard from aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends, an entire community of people whose lives have been permanently altered. Each of these statements represents something the law too often reduces to a footnote. The full irreversible human weight of what was taken. Yakim Lawler was 17 years old. He was a gifted student, excellent in mathematics. He was a wide receiver with NFL dreams and he put in the work to back them up. His mother believed in those dreams so completely that she was preparing to go back to school to learn sports management so that she could be equipped to guide his career. That is not a footnote. That is the story of a mother who saw her son's future and said, "I will build myself up to meet it." That is the depth of who Kimmo was and the love he inspired. And he did not lose his life to a stranger. He lost it to someone he was in a relationship with, someone he trusted. That dimension of this case cannot be overlooked because it speaks directly to the nature of the harm and the deliberateness of the act. In my years as a prosecutor, I learned that sentencing is one of the few moments the justice system has to speak directly to the value of life. This is that moment. The maximum sentence of 30 years is not vengeance. It is proportionality. It is the court saying clearly this life had weight. This loss has consequences and accountability is not negotiable. On behalf of this family and everyone who loved chemo, I am asking you to impose the maximum sentence. Your honor, I will now yield to the people who loved him first and the longest, his parents. >> All right, Miss Herson, I'm going to wait for Miss Malik to come back. I think >> she's using the restroom. >> Yes. >> I think she needs to be present to hear. Thank you. >> But I will yield my time. >> Take a 10-minute break. >> Ready? >> Your honor, I believe the family the the parents want to give some of course. First will be it'll be uh David Lawler senior followed by Natalie right here. Double triple. >> Yes. >> Good morning. >> Your honor. My name is Darede Yen Lawler, singer. Proud father of a gem of a son. Yen Kanye Lawler. And before I tell you how the murder of my son affected me, I want to let you know how it affected my other two kids right there. My son like 6'5, my oldest boy like 65 like was 280. He lost like 50 lbs in the media aftermath. He was through talks we had he was sorry son contemplating suicide. Okay. My daughter, she has chronic sickle cell. All right. And from the day of the funeral to the for like the following two weeks, she was admitted in the hospital taking breathing treatments, contracting pneumonia. Had a self-administering morphine pump. The doctor telling me, "Watch her. Make sure she breathing before you leave." I'm spending nights out there at the hospital going straight to work the next day. I was really at thought I was at risk of losing all my kids being kidless. Okay. All right. It's kind of uncomfortable for me. I'm do what I got to do with my son. I'm a habitual felon label by the system. It's uncom. This is my first time on this side of law. But I really want to speak about the injustice that I feel has taken place here. All right. from the night of the arrest. I mean, from the night of the incident, nobody informed us nothing about anything. We we all we know we were just summoned to the go to to the headquarters. We were released and never found out anything else. We had to find out front street charges were never filed. Okay. And uh and I feel like it's a slap in the face to honestly to be 40 days in and they come back with manslaughter. All right. And with all the evidence that we've seen that they've called us down there to see medical examiner, the body cam warn video video from the scene of the crime. All right. It's just baffling to me how they can take all this time to come up with a manslaughter charge. We feel as though she's been undercharged. All right. We've been seeking the enhancement from the beginning. All right. And you know, they like to the the defense like to call it accountability. All right. Saying that she pleading guilty now. All right. But we call it we think it's being smart because we always been seeking enhancement for the charges. All right. So this is like they getting ahead of the ball right now. All right. It's 16 18 half a year and a half in. All right. And we supposed to have a foam dump by today's court date. All right. It kind of sound like water and oil mixing together cuz I mean the it's over with at this point, you know, for us to get a phone up today, it probably won't even do us no good. All right. What if it's content in her phone? Cuz kids text each other. They don't talk. You know what I'm saying? What if it's something that she sent a message to her friend saying, "I'mma f him up." You get what I'm saying? That would have showed premeditation. That would have showed intent. That would have showed a whole lot of things that we could have got these charges upgraded. All right? We've been seeking that from the beginning. All right? We feel like the whole investigation was was was was was influenced from the jump. All right. We feel like it was a whole perfect storm for it to happen on the city of Miami side. I'm from a place called Lincoln Field. All right. Everybody probably know it for all the wrong reasons. All right. I've been shot down AK-47. I done seen people murdered. Know a lot of murderers. Don't know anybody that was granted this luxury right here. All right. To be kill someone that night. All right. to be held in custody, taken interrogation, and released without charge. Like, come on now. I feel as though they could have charged her with manslaughter that night if you going to take all this time to come up with that charge. All right. It was my sister, the police officer, that added the additional charge that requested through Kevin Bett court to add additional charge of with the deadly weapon. You know, because even before that, she was only eligible to get up to 15 years. All right? Because it's a deadly weapon. Now, it's up to 30. All right? But we shouldn't have to do the prosecutors in the state job. You get what I'm saying? It's more upsetting to me than anything. Yeah, my son gone. He ain't coming back. We already I'm at peace with that. You get what I'm saying? I don't like the way this case was handled, y'all. You know what I'm saying? And then they like to we met with the state attorney. We met with Katherine Fernandez of London. The the the chief of police called us down. We had a meeting with him. I'm quite sure they don't meet with all victims of families of homicide. All right. So, it it leads me to wonder why. All right. Maybe they know they messed up the case or mishandled the case. All right, it just ain't nothing makes sense right now at this point. You know what I'm saying? I want to talk about Kimmo a little bit cuz he was the most humblest guy. Well respectable. Kimmo was so humble. Kimmo I went to pick him up from Charles Drew Elementary one day and his teacher say hey in PE the PE teacher like hey this kid super fast he jump super high and he I'm super super high and he's just this super athlete. I'm like, Ko ain't tell you. At this point, Kimmo had won three Super Bowl, three Super Bowl MVP. Kimmo go to school and nobody knows nothing. He was 10 years old at that point. All right. Kimmo do not brag on himself. He brag on his daddy. All right. His daddy the best barber. All right. He wouldn't let nobody else cut his hair. All right? Nobody can beat his daddy in basketball if you listen to him. All right? And nobody's better with the bookie if you listen to Kimmo. Kimmo praises his dad. His dad was his hero. You know, I defend Kimo. I rescue him. I save him. I was robbed of that that night. I live five walking blocks from chemo. Walking distance. and that was taken from me that night. So that day, the day of the incident of the murder, I left work early. The graveyard closed at 5:00, 5:00 p.m. It was my mom's birthday, December 20th. She passed away in 21, 2021. So I called Kimmo. I left work early. I get off at 5:00. The graveyard be closed. I called Kimmo and invited him to the graveyard this day. You know, I called him and told him I was going to see my mom. They referred to her as Granny. All right. I said, "I'm going to see Granny Ko, what you doing?" He I'm playing the PlayStation. And he didn't volunteer to come. So I didn't tell him to put it down and come. I give him his independ. He's 17. I know what he was into. And it was that night that I got that call. I just handed him to the grave. Kimmo wasn't hanging around the wrong crowd. It took for somebody he loved and trusted to do him like that. Kimmo was no chunk. He was a wellrespected young man. He was taught to not abuse, not be abusive to women. And I think that was the his ultimate that was the reason for his demise cuz I also feel as though if it would have happened if he would have may have defended himself the first time because a lot of stuff we found out throughout this whole thing that we did not even know. You get what I'm saying? And I don't understand why these charges with the stuff that they're telling the the with the information that the state was giving us. I just couldn't understand why it's not a secondderee murder charge. And not only that, even if you were to charge his dad and convict as a lesser offense. We see this all the time. You get what I'm saying? I don't know why that wasn't applicable in this case. It's just it nothing makes sense with this case. All right. We feel again like like I say, the case was affected from the beginning. The city of Miami, her granddad got the key to the city of Miami. All right. We feel as though if it sh if it would have happened on the metro day side, she would have been in custody that night. You get what I'm saying? It's all over what what anybody could think anything. But again, man, we just don't understand how it took all this time to come up with the manslaughter charge with all the evidence and everything that they've told us happened. It's It is not an isolated incident. What we found out through the state, through y'all, you get what I'm saying? This has happened before. She's pulled the knife on him. She's cut him with a knife before. You get what I'm saying? I can't even bring myself to address her. I don't feel no ill will towards her family cuz I'm quite sure if they knew that she was going to pull some stunt like that, they would have told her, "Sit your butt down. You stupid girl. You can sit your So again, I don't feel no ill will towards her family throughout these whole proceedings. We've made it our business to not threaten, not to address, not to do anything towards her or her family. All we here is we seeking justice here. All right? And again, it's uncomfortable for me. I'm on this my first time on the side of this law and I am way out of my element. It doesn't even matter. I'm going to stand up and honor my son and defend my son. All right? At every chance I get and I'm sorry. That's it, man. I just wanted to be heard, man. I don't like the way this case was handled. You know, it wasn't no transparency. Nobody talked to us. Ain't nobody said nothing, man. You know what I'm saying? We had to hold rallies and then I'll do all this to get some kind of charges brought. And it's unfair. It's unfair. It's unfair. I don't like it at all. And I'm sorry if I disrespected the court. I don't got nothing else to say. >> You did not disrespect the court. She's already under. >> Do I need to do it? >> No. >> Good morning, your honor. Um, I do want Oh, I'm sorry. It's a long day. Um, I do want to thank you for allowing everyone to speak today. So, I am going to tell you a little bit more about my son and who he was and then leave from there. Okay. On September 28th, I was getting my hair done and I end up getting contractions. So, I'm like, "Trey, my stomach hurt." She was like, "Girl, go to the bathroom." I went to the bathroom. I said, "I'm bleeding, Trey. I don't know what to do. I'm just panicking." She was like, "Oh my god. Oh my god." Her mom is a registered nurse. She ran in in the bathroom and mind you, my pants, everything is on the floor. So, all my good stuff is showing. So, I'm just standing there and I'm like, "Oh my god, I don't know what to do. I'm bleeding. I'm bleeding. I'm just I just Ke I hope I hope y'all Keem's okay. Cuz I always told his dad that I loved his middle name. So if we ever had a child, that would be my son name. So I already had his name prepared. And she was like, "All right, we're going to call the ambulance." So they called the ambulance, they rushed me, they called my doctor in at Northshore Hospital. And when they called my doctor and me was having a conversation, she's like, "Well, Miss Jean, you seem like everything's okay. I don't see anything wrong." I said, "But what am I why am I bleeding? Nobody can't tell me why am I bleeding." She was like, "Well, he's a big kid inside of you. He's already 5 lb. So, it wouldn't hurt to take him out early cuz Kimo original birthday was November 3rd like that." So she was like um I said well you're the doctor what would you do? She was like take him out. So they prepared me for emergency C-section that day. So we end up going to the emergency room and my mom and my sisters and dad came cuz you know I'm the big sister so everybody's rling around me and I'm just got my head down. I'm praying. They talking but I'm praying the whole time. All I'm saying is God let my baby be okay. And then we went into surgery and he came out. The pediatric doctor said, "He's going to need a blood transfusion." I said, "Okay, no problem, but I don't hear him crying. Before you take my baby, I want to hear him crying. I need to make sure he's okay." She was like, "But he's okay." I said, "No, no, no, no. I need to hear my baby, but you could take him after that." So chemo started to cry and they left. and that always stuck with me and stuff. So, fast forward, I think he was like three or four, we was coming um from Dixie and they have the blood drive trucks outside and the lady came. She was like, "Hey, would you like to give our blood today?" I said, "Sure." I said, "Let me drop my groceries and I'mma go." And Kimmo's like, "Hey." You know, he's just always bouncing everywhere and everything. And he's like, "Mom, what is that?" I said, "I'm going to tell you why I'm doing it." He's like, "Huh?" So he's looking at me as we go in there. I say, you know, someone saved your life. So that's why today I choose to get blood. When you get older, I want you to do the same thing because if that person didn't donate blood for you, you wouldn't be here today. And he was like with his little eyes, you know, he has the most adorable eyes and a beautiful smile. Okay, mommy. Okay, mommy. No problem. Fast forward to high school. I'm in my room cleaning up. I just hear my door go boom. I'm like, "Here he go." Then he comes in. He's like, "Mom." And he bounc it just like this in my room. Ma, ma, ma, guess what I did today? I'm like, "What, chemo? What did you do today?" He's like, "I gave blood." I remember when you told me that. So, I gave blood today. I said, "That's what I'm talking about, boy. I know that's right." He was like, "I got two pizzas in a movie ticket, but I did. But I gave it today." That's the type of person my son is. You see, he remembered that from 3 years old. He remembered that conversation. He remembered somebody saved his life. So, he was willing to save somebody else life. So, this is why it's hurting everybody out here. See, the difference is that someone was able to save my son life by giving out blood. But that night that Johara took my son life, nobody could have saved his life. Nobody. It was nothing they could do. She gave my son a death sentence. It was nothing nobody could do for my son. I find myself like just dreaming about how I took him to his first football practice and he's crying and whining and I'm like, "Oh, you got to stick this out. You told me you want to play football. You're going to play football. You got me coming out of here and you talking about you going to cry." No, no, no. We're going to stick. I remember running side. I started from saying, "Go, Kimo, go. Run chemo, go. Take off, chemo. Take off. That's how it started. I'm one of those parents who's running aside the sideline with their kid, screaming out his name all the time. Imagine watching your son grow to be the person that you want him to be, and you getting them ready for the future. You're preparing your son because if you have kids and if you have a son, especially a brown son or a black son, you teach your kids how to conduct their self out here when you're not. I always tell my kids, you are a representation of me. So you carry yourself as such. You understand what I'm saying? My son is yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir. You will meet my son one day and you'll remember him for the rest of your life. She took that away. The night of it was a regular day in our house. We was putting up the Christmas tree. Me and Treasure, my youngest. He came in the living room. The first thing he said, cuz he's always a jokester, "Pink tree, huh, Mom? Pink tree?" I said, "Boy, you better ask your sister," which is my oldest, Tama. She waited the last minute to get that Christmas tree. So, we got to get what we getting. And we all was in there doing the tree. And for some reason, it just like it wasn't coexistent or whatever. It was just a beautiful day. Tamia was coming out of she was coming in the door and he was coming in his out of his room and we was playing music and we was just like it was just our song and we was dancing. We was listening to Mariah Carey, We Belong Together. And then he just coming out the room and he's just singing. He's like, "When you left, I lost a part of me." And he's just singing his heart out. And then we we in the background, we his little cheerleaders be like, "We belong together." And we just singing. And then it was just that's our normal routine. You get what I'm saying? It was just a beautiful day. Never would we imagine that. We ate. He went in his room. I said, "Oh, a jet the trash." He talking about, "All right, mom." I said, "No, no, no. Your room." He was like, "Okay." I said, "I'm off tonight, so I'mma be here." He said, "Mom, I promise I'mma do everything in the morning." That was the last thing my son told me when I went in my room. Mom, I promise I'mma do everything in the morning. Then I got that phone call, not from police officers or nothing. One of his classmates called me and said, "Mom, something happened to chemo. You need to go and go to the hospital." Then somebody text me, "Johara staff chemo." But her lawyer want to say she reached out to me. When she want to talk to me about other stuff and communicate, she know my number, but she didn't know it that night. Well, her mind was a fog that night, but when we talk on a regular, she knows my number. And then an officer, as I'm on the scene, come tells me, "Miss Jean?" Yes. Is Lawler your son? Yes. I'm sorry to tell you, he didn't make it. Wow. I'm just getting on the phone with my dad to explain to him what's going on, but I don't know what's going on. I turned into a little girl that night. Could you imagine calling out for your dad? I'm like, "Daddy, DADDY, that's what I'm saying." I said, "My child, my child is dead. They told me they killed my child." That's what I said to my dad. I turned into a little girl that night and then have to get that phone call. I have to tell his dad that his song no longer here. My daughter called me. She was like, "Mom, I don't understand. I'm at the hospital. They're saying he's not here. I got to break that down to her, letting her know that her little brother that she helped me raise is gone." Imagine everyone calling you that night to find out what's going on with your son. And when you tell them that your son passed away, they hang up on you. From that night all the way to the morning, that's what happened to me, your honor. Cuz nobody couldn't believe chemo out of everybody. Chemo who don't bother nobody. That's the only way she would be able to kill him is at home cuz he doesn't go anywhere. The only way chemo going somewhere if he know it's food there. That's the only way. Imagine that. Imagine going through all that and you still got to be a mom. You still got to be strong. You still got to make sure everything goes right so you can send your baby away. You got to sign papers. You got to do this. You got to do that. You know how I had to identify my baby? With a goddamn picture. That's how I had to identify my son by a picture. And he died with his eyes closed and his mouth open. Like he was shocked. He was in disbelief. Imagine going through that. Imagine going through all that. Imagine picking out your child casket, right? Cuz he's supposed to do that for me. I'm not supposed to do that for him. Imagine doing that. It took them four days to release my baby body. Four days. The funeral home called me and said, "Natalie, I just got his body. Are you sure you want to see him like that?" I said, "That's my baby. They told me he died. I got to see it for myself." Four days don't went past. Everybody told me he dead, but you got to see it to believe it. When I went to go see my baby, he was unrecognizable. His skin already melted. His skull was here. The only thing you seen, no defense wound or anything, was that gash around his chest where she stabbed him. And through all that ugly, your honor, through all that ugly, you still could see that beautiful smile. Through all that, through all that, your honor, and then you have to prepare to send your child to go home. You know how hard that is to see your child? It's different to see your child in a box. It's totally different. I can't even tell you what was said at the funeral. All I remember she said was, "Mom, one last time." Then I had to stand there, me, his dad, and my dad, and closed my son casket. And when that door went down, I went down with it. It went down again, and I went down with it. It went down and I went down again cuz I had to see it all the way through. Then I heard click and my whole world just stopped. When I got to that cemetery, every emotion that I've been holding on and trying to keep strong and all that came out at that cemetery because now you're really seeing that it's true. It's really true. And I said, "Kemo, you trying to tell me you left me? You left me, Kimmo? You left me? So you saying that my son not here today because he chose not to be with somebody? My son lost his life because he chose peace." She took that knife, stabbed his ch stabbed him in the chest and pierced his heart. and my son bled out. She called me on December 12th and said my son broke up with her. Eight days later, she killed my son. But she want me to believe they was horse playing cuz that's what they're saying. And through this whole proceeding and while we crying and going through stuff, her family back here just laughing and like brushing us off like we don't have no feelings and like we're nobody. Like we're not valid that we want justice cuz had my son did that to her, >> it would have been totally different, right? Totally different through this whole proceeding. She never show remorse. She never showed she care. You can even look at the news clip now. One time she showed that she cared. She actually showed that she'll do it again to me. But is horse playing your I'm asking for the max. My son deserved it. She earned that max when she pulled out that knife and stabbed my son in the chest and pierced his heart. Imagine this, your honor, being your normal conversation from now and forever. Dang, if Kmo was here. Dang, y'all remember when Kimmo did this? You forgot how Kimmo used to laugh. Oh man, I wish KO was here. Dang. I'm not going to lie, I miss K chemo. That's our reality now, your honor. Now and forever. So all we asking for the mask, we believe she deserve more than that. The justice system been failing us since day one, your honor. And I hope today you serve justice. I hope today you show why you sit on that bench and wear that robe. Right is right, wrong is wrong. She was wrong. If she never pulled out that knife, my son would be here and we wouldn't be sitting facing each other today. Your honor, we just want what my son deserve. His life matters. I do not want to leave here today, your honor, feeling like I lost my son all over again, your honor. Thank you for listening to me and my family. I hope today you got a sense of Kimo, who Kimmo was, and I hope you see when you look out there how much he was loved, your honor. Thank you. Judge has no further witness at this point. >> Mr. >> Judge, I will be calling at this time Dr. right here. Please tell us to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing >> police department. Good afternoon. >> Good afternoon. Will you um identify yourself for the record and spell your last name, please? >> My name is Lindsay M. Sai Sai spelled S Y E H. >> And what do you do for a living, ma'am? >> I'm a licensed mental health counselor. >> And how long you been doing that type of work? >> I've been doing it for 5 years. And um in doing that type of work, tell the court exactly what is it that you do as far as letting us know what is as part of your work. What exactly does that entails? >> As a licensed mental health counselor, I see clients in individual setting with couples and families. I also host workshops in the community um that talk about mental health as well as forensic mental health assessments. I diagnose and treat mental health disorders. >> Did you in your capacity ever come in contact with Jar Malik? >> Yes. >> And can you tell the court when that was? The first time I came in contact with Jahar Malik was when I had outreach from your office that um invited me to be a part of her case and I saw her in February of 2026 as a client. >> And did there come a point in time that you had an opportunity to conduct an evaluation of her? >> On in February I conducted an evaluation and that's called a forensic mental health. Um, it's a part of that report where we do a clinical assessment, we do a clinical interview, and then write up a clinical report. >> And can you walk me through uh tell the court exactly um what you learned and what you were able to assess uh first starting off with what was your assessment if anything? >> Absolutely. And so I did about seven assessments with Jiara. Um the first one I did was an MMPI3. And >> what is that? >> An MMPI3. It tests for psychopathy in in clients that are 18 plus years old. And it has a battery of questions that have seven domains and it is a series of depression, suicidality, it talks about trauma. Um those are some of the things that were assessed in that assessment. Another one was the back depression inventory. And so that assessed depression within two weeks um of seeing her or depression symptoms that she may have exhibited within 2 weeks of me seeing her. I also did a Beck's anxiety inventory the same um but this time it's symptoms of anxiety. I also did it a Beck's hopelessness scale and it's it it assesses the severity of depression to the extreme of hopelessness. I did a um a Miller forensic assessment and symptoms test and so that is an MFAS. It it assesses the mingering and so whether or not a person is figning their um testimony or their symptoms. It helps me to assess that as well as a reliable digit scan. And so it helps with the validity of everything that um she is saying um you're doing um back and forth with um you know just giving her numbers just a recitation to see if cognitively if she is aware and then last but not least I did a mental status exam. All right, for for those of us who are not as have the same knowledge that you have, let's break this down in in layman's understanding as relates to the first testing that you did. What were you looking for and what were your findings? So what I was looking for in the first test were just how she presented with her personality. And what that came up the results were that through the seven scales um we looked at the hopelessness and helplessness, the anxiety related experiences, the suicidal death ideations, um ideas of um persecution or apparent um experiences. And at the end of that, it just concluded just this profile of how she showed up and how she responded to the inquiries that the test provided. >> And why was that important for you to know? >> It's important for me to know because it assesses behavior. It assesses how she's showing up with um maybe her cognitions, her thoughts, her feelings, um her state of mind, and whether or not it's consistent with the observations that I would make through the mental status exam if they would be congruent to what she's being assessed for. >> And what did you learn as relates to the first uh test? So when I learned that her numbers for helplessness and hopelessness it was very high. Um I also learned that she presented >> when you say high in layman term what does that mean? >> So the the the score that is that one would get is about 65. She landed at 80 um for the helplessness and hopelessness. Um for anxiety related experiences again 65 um is the baseline but she rated at a 69. Um ideas of persecution and apparent experiences in substance abuse she rated at an 81 and 83 and a 75. So what did that tell you and what conclusion did you were you able to reach any as relates to that first? Based off this it showed me that she presented with symptoms of depression. She presented with symptoms of suicidality. She presented with symptoms that exhibited um anxiety as well. um symptoms that just painted a picture of how she felt about the thoughts that entertained with maybe persecution, appherent experiences. That that's what it told me that these were the symptoms that she had. Did you get an opportunity to go over and review and understand exactly um what happened on the day of the the seven that she um that you learned that she was responsible for? Um how would you address the court on the issue of of her uh being whether she was remorseful? uh what were what were you what were you able to gather and learn from that? >> So when we went and sat for our clinical interview, I wanted to just understand some context of what happened. Um it's it's typical to understand the context and then we went through systematically her history of childhood. We talked through her school history, any history with um drug and alcohol abuse, any history about how she lived socially. And so we landed at the end talking about just remorse, you know, how does she how does she show up um with her understanding of what happened and at the end she showed that she was remorseful for the incident that um that happened um and it was um as evident as herself before. >> Now you said suicidal. Did you have any concerns as it relates to suicidal thoughts or uh relating to what you were looking for? I had concerns about it and I did a suicide risk assessment in in the session and she declined thoughts of suicide presently and thoughts of intentions of wanting to harm herself. But she also stated that those were ideations that were ever present but in the moment she denied that that was happening >> when you were speaking to her. >> When I was speaking to her >> but you said there was cons she was able to communicate with you that there were some concerns about suicide. >> Yes. What else did you uh learn? >> I also learned that in talking with her um >> if I can just refer to my report. >> Sure. Go ahead. So I also learned about her um is that she was very um a studious student. Um she told me about how she went to school and how she hoped to aspire to become a nurse one day. Um, she told me about how she envisioned going to college and wanting to connect what she wanted to do in college, her major in nursing to one day to become a a butician. Now, after you completed your evaluation of her of and your assessment, um, did you reach any conclusions and and recommendation for consideration to be taken by the court as relates to this particular case? So based on the conversation that we had um the interview that we had there were some conclusions that I reached um one a recommendation to the courts for traumainformed mental health treatment. Um this was recommended because the you know the examinee you know just their their symptoms of you know just emotional regulation how to manage stress. I also recommended that there be a restorative justice informed programming if applicable. And so what this does is that you know as they work to support them in accountability, reflection, empathy um and community reintegration um I recommend it as well. Um I did life skills and decision-m and so this would be you know structured life skills developmental programs is recommended to help with the judgment conflict resolution and personal safety awareness. These are some of the recommendations that I made. Um as well as structured rehabilitation program with afterare there was also a recommendation for family support and counseling. Now, did you during the time period that you had an opportunity to evaluate your hard um you said that she came across remorseful? Did she ever communicate with you as relates to um her position uh as far as accepting responsibility and regretting what happened that day? towards the end and or at the top of the interview and towards the end um I asked questions about remorsefulness and she did express remorsefulness for what happened. Um she stated that while she was on the scene that you know she did her best to help and to support and to aid in care and that you know she was very sorry and for what had happened. Now, did there come a point in time um I want to go to conclusions? Um I know that you gave some recommendations as you relates to uh for the court to consider. Uh first of all, um let's talk about the age at the time of this incident. 17 years old, right? >> Yes. >> And no prior contact with the criminal justice system. Now what is the significance if any as relates to the 17 years of age? >> So when we look at 17 years age they're almost at the tail end of their teenage years and so 181 19 marks that end. And what was significant for me was that you know her brain is being developed and it's in process of development. And so as I thought about that and processing this with her, it was more so about, you know, decision- making, impulse control, emotional regulation, everything that entails that and how she developed those coping skills from early childhood, how was it being reflected in the present. So I was conscious of that. And what was your as relates to recommendation um for the court to consider as relates to this particular case? So my recommendation pertaining to this case would definitely be in alignment with trauma-informed mental health treatment, the restorative justice informed programming, the life skills in decision decision-m education, a structured rehabilitation program with some form of afterare treatment and family support and counseling. >> Are you familiar with the Miami Day County Boot Camp program? I've heard of it. >> Okay. And um upon learning some of the the benefits of it as it relates to this particular case, what were your uh recommendation to the court pertaining to programs like that? >> Well, from what I know, um boot camp has an opportunity to instill some of the affformentioned recommendations that I have. Um, it could integrate trauma-informed mental health treatment, restorative justice informed programming, life skills and decision- making, and you know, definitely structure rehabilitation. >> Now, you had an opportunity to listen to Dr. Brandon as relates to his his um his evaluation uh as relates to Jahar Malik, right? >> Yes. And there is one thing that I brought up and that is one of the things he did he wanted to uh with all of his years of experience to test to see whether or not the person was as we call it gaming the system >> and he said he test that and he determined that that was not the case. Do you join in and agree with Dr. Brennan assessment based upon what you had an opportunity to assess and see for yourself. >> So I did a test called the Miller forensic assessment of symptoms and this test it tests for malingering and figning and so when I tested Jiara for it she scored out of four and it established this cutoff for malingering which indicates there's no significant evidence that the client was exaggerating or f fabricating any symptoms. So would it be your opinion that she was one remorseful for based upon what happened that she was sad that she uh wanted to accept full responsibility based upon what happened? Based off my observations and her self-report in our session um she exhibited remorse, regret and you know she um she had sadness in in the session. I have no other questions. >> Any props? >> Yes, sir. >> Hi, doctor. Can you remind me how to pronounce your last name at one? >> Sai. >> Sai. >> So, you met with um the defendant February 4th, 2026. How long were you with her? >> I was with her about 3 hours. >> And that is the total of your time with her? >> No. >> No. How long were you with her overall? >> So I would say about four hours. >> Four hours total. >> Um and that is where and after those four hours is essentially what's in your report. >> Yes. >> You didn't meet with her any other time? >> No. >> Okay. Um so during your meeting with her, you have here a sources of information and evaluation procedures. What you outline are Miami Dade Police Department lead report complaint, arrest affidavit, and work products. Um you did your testing as you've described. Um and then you did a clinical interview. That is all that you used or course over the course excuse me of the four hours that you were with her in making your assessment. >> Yes. >> Okay. So during that time um were you provided any history um any Miami Dade school records >> only based on the counselor I mean the client's self-report? >> Self-reporting. Okay. Were you provided um any um reports from any pediatricians or any doctor's notes with respect to any mental health prior diagnosises >> only based on the client's self-report >> were you provided any sort of outside material other than right the client's reporting? >> No. Okay. So, in your ultimate assessment, she self-reports and I think what you end up noting is ultimately she has a happy childhood, right? >> Yes. >> There's no history of domestic violence within her home, right? >> That wasn't reported to me. >> There's no trauma in her home. Nothing reported. There's no um history of abuse on her. That wasn't reported. At no time did she ever tell you that there was any um history of violence on behalf of the victim in this case against her? >> The only No. >> No. Okay. At no point were you ever provided any information about um prior instances of aggression between her and the victim where she was the or yes her and the victim where she was the initial aggressor. Okay. Um I want to talk about the the test that you described and I apologize I don't remember the name but where you determined sort of malingering. Um if I noted in your report that you you noted that she uh the examinee describes herself as sort of the good girl that works hard in school um you know and she sort of denies her involvement in you know extracurricular activities and in you know essentially it's all self-reporting. So if she believes right that she's essentially a good girl, right, a kid who otherwise behaves, does your test sort of account for that? Like that would to you it would signal she wasn't mingling. >> What I would do is just I look at through observation how she's reporting. Okay. >> And so the test just it asks questions that's based off of like how does she present with like suicidal ideiation? How is she presenting with symptoms of anxiety and depression? It doesn't specifically just say only behavior but thoughts and >> but thoughts. Okay. So, but in making your assessment right as to whether or not somebody's being completely forthcoming with you. If someone really believes and I'll use a hypothetical. So, if I'm the one who's talking to you, right, and whether let's say for the sake of the hypothetical I'm a bad person, right? But I go in there and I tell and I tell you I'm a good person. Like I believe that I'm a good person. I believe that I always follow the rules. Are you able to through your test assess, right, whether I'm just being truthful? like if I just believe it regardless of what sort of the facts and precedents say. Can you tell that? >> Well, there can be a belief but then there has to be also congruence with what is the affect saying, what is the thought cognition saying? So, I'm actively doing a mental status exam to see the congruence between what someone is saying to me versus how they're saying um versus how I'm observing what they're saying. So essentially if somebody's if somebody whether they believe it but then they're able to with their affect because I think and they're able with their affect to sort of convey that they could otherwise pass. >> Repeat that please. >> So if somebody believes right that they are the good I believe we use I believe it but then with my affect I'm you know I can otherwise present that I I'm it's sort of in line with me thinking that I'm a good girl. Could they otherwise pass when maybe they are maybe fabricating something to you? I mean, I'm looking at the context from start to finish. >> Okay. So, essentially what it comes down to is everything in your report comes down to her self-reporting and her version of the events >> and based on the what I'm reading in the reports that I got as well. >> Okay. And the reports of the the police department and that. Okay. Okay. So now I want to talk about um when we look at sort of the brain um we've you've gone through your we've I looked at your report right you have someone who you said no DV no abuse otherwise happy childhood you had no nothing from schools so as far as she's reporting no issues at school there's no IEP um she's otherwise a good kid good good grades right that she gets so now we're taking a person sort of with And now we're talking about impulse control, right? So does when we look at you know the human brain just because somebody is the human brain sort of doesn't develop until 24 does that mean that someone would not be able to appreciate let's say the dangers of a a knife? >> Can you can you please restate your question? >> Okay. We're taking we're we're taking everything right in the context of sort of the evaluation that you did right in the portion that you're looking at with good grades sort of all that right so now we're talking about the brain developing brain develops like you said between 17 and 24 17 is on the lower end 24 is on the higher end so when we're talking about sort of the development of the brain just because somebody is 17 we'll start there does that mean that they therefore could not appreciate the danger of a knife >> I mean at 17 when you say appreciate what he means. >> Okay. So, that a knife is sharp, that a knife could hurt someone, >> right? So, they they still could. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. And so in when we look at your report, right, I I'm particular on page five, um, one of the things that is noted, right, is it says respectively, um, when we're talking about trauma and and I and impulse control, and you can correct me if I'm misunderstanding it, but it says that um, when when you're looking at your test, it recognizes that trauma, exposure, emotional disturbance, adverse life experiences are relevant considerations because of the potential impact on judgment, impulse control, and decision-making. under stress. >> Okay. So now we take into context, right? Someone who's smart, right? Good home, no trauma, no emo, no no reported emotional disturbance, no adverse life experiences, no nothing really that that is we'll call it a red flag, right? Um and now sort of the question is how does impulse control affect that person? it seems like it would be less likely, right, to affect that person versus somebody who did have all those red flags, >> right? >> Is that accurate? >> Well, what I'll say is this. Um, environment can also play a part in it as well. >> Okay. >> And so when I observed and when we had our clinical interview, those were things that I took into consideration when writing the report. >> Okay. And so for when we're looking at um Miss Malik, I mean, did you ever at any point ask her whether or not she knew the knives were dangerous? >> I asked her about um just violence in general and her understanding of violence >> and did she understand it? >> Yes. >> Um did your sort of analysis incorporate the fact that she had a knife? She tells police she had a knife for protection. >> Yes. And so protection, right, would mean that she would use it to ultimately defend herself against anyone who came at her. >> Yes. >> So would that tell you that she understood that a knife could be used in order to, let's say, save her life or endanger somebody else? >> Yes. >> Right. Okay. So, would it be a fair assessment to say that she understood that knives were dangerous and that they could cause harm? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Um, I have no further questions. Just one question. I think I guess I need to go to the mic. I have to say one question and I want to keep it very simple. Is there a correlation between the age of 17 and someone 17 participating in risk behavior? Pause playing with a knife. age 17 versus someone 24 or 25 doing the same thing. You see the difference? Meaning one of the things you discussed in Dr. Brandon that there is certain risk behavior associated with the age 17. Is that correct? >> Yes. That would not be the case when you're dealing with someone at the age of 24 or 25 because the brain has fully developed. Would that be correct under that scenario? >> What I would say is this, it depends on circumstances, >> but their risk behavior is something that is more associated with someone that's young, such as a teenager at the age of 17. Is that correct? >> Yes. >> All right. Thank you. Nothing wrong. >> Is the doctor excused? >> Yes, ma'am. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. S. >> All right. Mr. Hansfield, do you have any other witnesses? >> Yes. Yes. Um, these will be appoint. >> First person will be Terry. Please raise your right hand. Do you sign to tell the truth or tell the truth? >> Be quiet. >> I do. >> Would you take uh would you state your name for the record, please? >> Terry Wright. >> And you identify yourself as far as um what you do for a living. >> I'm the CEO of writing out funeral home here in Miami. >> And will you state to the court why you're here today? I'm here to speak as a character witness for Miss Malik. >> And would you like to put the note out as a link to Miss Jard, sir? >> Well, I've been knowing the family for over 40 years. They have a business here that I've been a a customer for the last 30 years. Being said that if I may just tell a story, there was a young man by the name of King Carter, 6 years old, that was killed exactly 10 years ago here. 6 years old. And we started a a nonprofit called Don't Take My Life, Let Me Live. 10 years ago, Miss Malik was only today maybe 10 years old. But back then, we started with different rallies to promote violence and don't take something you can't give. But that being said, we had t-shirts that me and her godfather gave away free. And I remember her vividly wearing that little t-shirt when she was a young little lady serving the community at the shop. Didn't know no better. But you know when we have businesses we try to train our families to one day become either entrepreneur or take over the family business. With that being said as years pass by as I will frequently visit the store that she would be there. So we only have our character and I only could speak about the character. I can't speak about this case. My heart is very troubled today because I'm I'm burying young people in and out and this family these families are destroyed today and situation arises in our lives and when it come to lives we all must treasure lives and we must think about our hearts. When people greet you and when people assess you, you begin to know people because my Angelo once wrote a poem. She said, "When people show you who they are, believe it." And all I could do is attest to her her being at the store with the pleasant attitude serving. It's traumatic today for these families to be at this gesture. And I pray God will mend hearts in some kind of way. And it's the my prayer today that as we leave this courthouse and as time comes and time will come, days and years will come that hearts will be mended. We will never forget our loved ones. Never forget our loved ones because it's a treasure to us. But we must also learn that life is about forgiveness as well. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but all we have in life. And with that being said, I pray as I go out this courtroom that God would touch hearts in here today in a very special way. >> Thank you. The next person is Shaunette Davis. >> Please raise your right hand. Do you sign to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. Will you state your name for the record, please? >> My name is Shanetta Davis. >> And what do you do for a living? >> I am U correctional officer. >> Where? >> U Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. >> And what would you like to address the court? >> Greetings, your honor. Um, Judge Hernandez and all parties present today. I recognize that this is incredibly difficult moment and one filled with deep pain. To the victim's family, I want to express my deepest consolences and I truly am sorry for your loss. Um, I have known Jiara for all her life and she is like a niece to me. I've watched her grow into a loving, compassionate, intelligent young lady. She is deeply family oriented and has shown a desire to build positive and meaningful future to become a registered nurse. Throughout this period, Jihara has taken responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty, which demonstrates accountability and remorse to me. In my professional experience as an correction officer, I have seen firsthand that juveniles and young adults are still in a critical developmental stage. I respectfully ask the court to consider leniency and in her sentencing. Thank you, your honor, for allowing me to speak and to be heard. >> Thank you, >> Ted McCrae. Please raise your honest to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. >> I do. >> Can you state your name for the record, please? >> My name is Theodore McCrae Ted McCrae. Uh, I am a pastor and a former teacher at Miami Northwestern. >> What would you like the court to hear from you today? Uh your honor, I just want to speak from the heart today. I just want to talk for a moment because today I saw something. I saw the fact that nobody wins. Nobody wins in a situation like this. It affects and effects everyone that is involved. Today I I remember I I'm I retired from Northwestern. So I was over there 20 years and most of you students who are here and I know you I know you just as much as your mom and them know you almost you spent hours out the day with me and everybody knows how I operate. I'm not just Mr. McCrae. I'm Uncle McCrae. I'm Dad McCrae. I'm there always when you hungry. Yo, McCrae, you got some snacks? Yo, hook me up. And I do just that. But it's not about me today. It's about the maturity of this situation. This is situation that we need to grow from. has to take responsibility and also we as listeners have to take a certain responsibility as well. We're all in this together. It's important that we grow from this. I see this. Yo, I I I I want you all to know that listen, nobody is perfect. Nobody does all the right things, but there's a level of accountability that has to be reconciled with. We have to take that into consideration that these things happen, especially with children. They need to know that to whom much is given, much is required. They're blessed. All of you are blessed. And I just want to come and let you all know that this is not a time to take sides. This is a time for you to look at yourself. See what you got going on. How grown are you? Where is the adult that's supposed to be in you? I listened today. I heard some stuff. Some things I thought was good and some things I thought was not that good. Things were said in here and I saw hurt where there needs to be healing. We need to come together in our own self. You know there's a saying say how how you going to throw you know rocks at my house when the house you live in is made of glass. So listenara there's love for you baby mommy. You said some things that I thought was important today. You expressed to us how you really felt about Keith. I know them. They was all freshman's and and juniors. No, freshman and sophomores when I when I retired. I know them. They used to come by my class. I KNOW ALL THE BOYS, don't I? Yeah. You know I do. If you went to Northwestern, you know me. Mr. McCrae, the man who taught cosmetology. All the girls was in my class, so I know you stopped by. Listen, it's not about that. It's all about your future. So, please take a look at yourself before you look at other people. Thank you, Angela Powell. Mr. Racer, do you sign to tell the truth? The whole truth identify the truth. >> I do. >> Will you identify yourself for the record, please? >> My name is Pastor Angela Powell Williams. >> What would you like the court to hear? >> I would like the court to hear a um character witness for Jahara Malik. First, your honor, I would like to thank you for allowing me to speak today. And if I could, I would like to offer my condolence to Hakeim's family. Um, first I would like to acknowledge as a woman of God and most a mother I recognize the death of your pain for the loss of your son, your brother, your nephew, your friend, and your best friend. There are no words left to fill the void in your hearts. But I offer my condolences, my deepest condolences and continuous prayers for your family. I stand before this court today with sincere reverence for your grief. I have known Jahara and her family for many years inside and outside of the community. And I just would like to say in no way do they celebrate or they against you in any way on this matter. Their hearts are broken and if they could do anything, they would fix this. Since this tragedy occurred, I have served as a one-on-one spiritual mentor for Jahara through private sessions, prayer, counsel, and guidance. In the time I've spent with Jiara, I have seen her face the gravity of her actions. She does not avoid the truth of what happened. I have sat with her in quiet moments where there were no cameras, no social media. And I can tell this court today she is deeply broken by this tragedy. Not just her, her family. Her guilty plea is a reflection of her accountability. We have worked together for hours. She understands the weight of her hurt. She has caused this family and the gravity of her actions. What I have observed in our sessions as her mentor of spiritual guidance is a young woman who realizes she cannot move forward without guidance. She has learned that it's not okay that it is okay to ask for help and to seek a better path. She shows humility and genuine desire to be a different person than that day. I once asked her in our sessions, if you could change anything, what would it be? And she said that entire day, "I am personally committed to Jiara continued me mentorship. I believe she has a heart that can be molded to good. My role is to ensure she remains on the path of peace and accountability. I ask the court to consider her her age. I asked the court to consider her today for litacy. Thank you to honor for allowing me to share what I have seen and the opportunity to acknowledge the family and their loss and God bless. >> Natalie Powell right start to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing of it. I do. >> You state your name for the record, please. >> Natalie AJ Bow, your >> honor, you would like the court to know. >> Um, I've had the privilege of watching Jihara Malik grow up, and from a very young age, it was clear that she was a really special young lady. She's always carried herself with a level of intelligence and awareness that was far beyond her years. That maturity off of alts made her seem older than what she was. Jiara has consistently stood out as someone that was thoughtful and capable and exceptionally bright. However, I've also come to understand that being so advanced for one age can sometimes present its own challenges. When a young person is accustomed to being the smartest among their peers and create it can create a sense of sense of confidence that they are ready to handle situations that in reality they're not. That kind of confidence while rooted in strength can sometimes lead to difficult decision decisions and unintended consequences. Jiara's action should be viewed in the full context of who she is. A young woman with tremendous potential who's still learning and still growing. She's still in need of support and direction as she navigates these complex situations. I firmly believe that with the right guidance, structure, and encouragement, she'll continue to develop in the remarkable individual that she has always shown herself to be. Thank you for taking the time to consider not only the circumstances before you, but the character and promise of Jihara Malik. >> Thank you, Nia Jackson. Please raise your hand. You saw me start to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing truth. >> Yes, I don't. >> State your name for the record, please. >> My name is Nia Jackson. >> What would you like the court to know? >> I'm sorry, sir. >> What would you like the court to hear from you today? >> Um, I'm speaking now as a character witness for Jarmaly to the honorable judge. I am writing this letter in respect for the court and I understand um how serious this situation is right now. My heart is very very heavy for everyone that's involved in this. I want to first acknowledge the family who I know is grieving. Losing a loved one is something no family should have to go through and I truly extend my deepest sympathy to them. I can only imagine the pain they are experiencing. I am writing on behalf of Jiara. I have known her since she was 3 years old and she attended our school into seventh grade. Having her as a student was a true pleasure. From the first time she was a little girl, I knew I knew her to be kind, to be loving, and respectful. She worked hard. She tried her best and included others. She was also very bright and involved in school activities including participating in writing, poetry competitions and brain balls. She took pride in her work and always pushed herself to do well. One of the most memorable things about Chahara was doing our school showcase throughout that year. Not only did she take the time to practice and learn her own poems, but she helped younger students learn their parts, too. She showed patience. She showed leadership and a genuine care for others. She was known for her hard work and for looking out for those around her. This situation is very very difficult to process because the person I know her to be is not someone who would intentionally cause harm. I truly do not believe there it was malicious intent. I believe this was a tragic situation involving young people who did not fully understand the weight of their actions in the moment. Jared is only 18 years old now. She is still growing. She is still learning and still developing emotionally. I believe in my heart that she is deeply apologetic for what happened and that she carried this with her. She will carry this with her for the rest of her life. I respectfully ask the court to consider giving her grace and leniency. An extensive census will not only impact your heart, but will also take away the future of another young life. While nothing can undo what has happened, I believe there is still an opportunity for growth, accountability, and redemption without completely closing the door on her future. I also believe a more meaningful a more meaningful form of accountability will be allowing her the opportunity to serve her community. Giving her the chance to speak and mentor young girls about the consequences of their actions on impulse and heightened emotions could turn this tragedy into a lesson that helps prevent something like this from happening again. I truly believe she can use her experiences to make a positive impact on others. This is a very painful situation for everyone. A family is grieving and a young girl now faces consequences that will shape her life forever. I am not here to excuse anything only to speak who she has been in my life and to ask for compassion as you make your decision. Judge, thank you for your time and thank you for your consideration. >> Na Please raise your right hand. Do you sign to tell the truth? I told you to let nothing but the truth. >> Yes. >> Would you state your name for the record? >> Gary Malik. And what would you like to collect to hear? >> My name is Gary Malik. And I stand before you today on the behalf of my niece Jar Malik. First I would like to acknowledge the gravity of what has happened. A young man has lost his life. And there is nothing that I can that can undo that loss. I want to express my deepest condolences to his family. I cannot begin to imagine the pain they carry and I do not stand here to lessen that in any way. What happened was tragic and Jara understands that. She has taken responsibility by pleading guilty and she will carry that weight of this for the rest of her life. I've known Jiara for her entire life. She is not a violent or careless person. She comes from a family that values faith, discipline, respect for others. She has always been someone who shows love to those around her, someone who supports her family, someone until this moment lived a life that reflected compassion and care. This situation does not define the entirety of who she is. It reflects a moment, a tragic mistake, not a pattern of behavior. Since this incident, I've seen the the impact it has had on her. She is remorseful. She is reflective and she understands the seriousness of her actions. This is not someone who is trying to escape accountability. This is someone who is already living with deep emotional consequences. Your honor, respectfully, I ask the court to consider leniency and sentencing, not to overlook what has happened, but to recognize that that Jihara has the capacity for growth, for rehabilitation, and for becoming a productive, positive force in society moving forward. Punishment alone will not bring healing, but mercy paired with accountability can allow something meaningful to come from this tragedy. Thank you for your time and God bless everybody here. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mom. >> Gloria Doset, >> please raise your right hand. Your song to tell the truth. The whole truth. Enough. State your name for the record, please. >> Excuse me. Gloria Butler, but Gloria Garcia Butler. >> Yes. >> What would you like to say to the court? Your honor, Mr. My name is Gloria Butler and I'm the grand of of Shahara. I stand before you as a character witness, someone who's known her all her life. My favorite forest by Haro. That's how I refer to her. because that carries so warmth the kindness that she always had as a child. Very sensitive. I watched Jahara grow from a child into a young woman right before my eyes. She's always been loving. What always stood out was her compassion. She has consistently shown a deep sensitivity towards others and a genuine care for people when this tragedy happened. Malik family weren't just torn because it was their granddaughter but because of the pain of your family and they wanted to reach out. They were agonized wanting to reach out. But when you have so many people in the mix giving so many different opinions, they were told not to because of the thing you guys were going through and the whole heated atmosphere that was going on at that time. And they agonized for your family. And I'm believing that if these two families can come together at the interim of everything and establish something in the name of your son that can be a beacon for other young people. Let something good come out of this. And I just want to say I can speak like I said to the impact on this family. They're not living in a place of celebration or peace but in a place of deep sorrow and grief while they're holding on to hope that they also will learn how to live with a reality that has forever changed everyone's lives. I have talked with Jiara after the whole situation and I can assure you she's beyond remorseful though she stands here physically and even that smirk that people say she has that is a part of her coping skill. She's one of those like if she's uncomfortable in something embarrassed that's you'll see that smirk that does not mean that she is not sensitive. That's how she deals with discomfort. She carries a heavy burden with within her, one of pain, regret, and sadness. This is not something she can simply escape. It is something she lives with every day. Your honor, it is my prayer. But as you consider this case, you are guided with wisdom, discernment, and compassion. I bless you. My last character witness would be U Naria Russell. Please raise your right hand. Your song start to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing of the truth. >> Yes. >> Will you identify yourself in the record, please? >> Na Russell, >> you're softspoken. >> Na Russell. >> What would you like the court to hear? >> Dear honorable Judge Christina Hernandez. >> My name is Naara Malik and I am the Jara Malik. I have known Jara since the day she was born. You got to speak up. >> I was in the I was known Jara since the day she was born. I was in the hospital on that evening and I witnessed her very first moments of life. I recall that day with great clarity just seeing a beautiful life coming to the world. I want to take a moment to give my sincerest condolences to the family. I understand that you're grieving and I understand that your pain is deep and I have prayed for your family just as I have prayed for our family and I pray for peace for your family as well. I'm saddened by the loss of life and suffering that your family is currently experiencing. While I do not excuse her actions, I respectfully wish to speak to her character and to the person I know her to be. Jiara has consistently been a very compassionate individual in our family just like my great aunt Gloria said, always had a very strong sense of responsibility as well. When my mother became ill, Jiara, her and my mom has always been very close. But at a very young age, she took it upon herself to make sure that she had a way to and from to visit my mom. And while she was there, you never had to tell her to prepare meals, to assist with maintaining the house, and more importantly, she made sure that she sat and talked to her, showing compassion and care. At a very young age, J also demonstrated initiative and discipline. At the age of 13, she taught herself how to braid hair. By the age of 14, she had established a steady clientele doing hair on the weekends and maintaining good grades as well. This level of commitment reflects her worth, e, responsibility, and determination. Over the past 15 months, I have personally observed Jahara. From the beginning, she has expressed genuine remorse and has taken responsibility for her actions. Jar Jar and I have been up several nights having conversations just trying to understand what transpired on that day. She has taken meaningful steps towards rehabilitation including participating in therapy and also speak seeking spiritual guidance. And I recall on some nights when I will wake up in the middle of the night and Jara will be up walking around with nightmares or just persistent sleepiness and crying and also thoughts of self harm as well. During that time, I decided to stay home because I wanted to watch her because I feared what she might do to herself. She independently told me that she wanted to make sure that everyone knew that she was taking accountability for her actions. Those efforts demonstrate her willingness to reflect, seek help, and make better decisions moving forward. I respectfully ask the court to take into considerations demonstrated capacity for growth and the efforts she has made towards rehabilitation. Thank you for your time. Judge, I would like to call um representative from boot camp and then my client would like to address the court and then um I will um see what the state has to say and then I'll give my closing remarks representative please identify yourself for the record please. >> Good uh good afternoon judge. My name is Officer Barry Antos. I'm one of the court leazison for the boot camp program. Officer, you familiar with me? >> Yes. >> And uh did you have an did your program have an opportunity to conduct an assessment and an evaluation of your harm Malik? >> Yes. Um once the court order was placed um in our uh within the boot camp program, we had Miss Malik evaluated psychologically and medically to be um cleared for her to be able to be able to be eligible to be a participant for the boot camp program. >> And what is about the boot camp program that you believe will be beneficial as someone that's worked in the system familiar with the boot camp as relates to your harmony week? So the boot camp program was established in June of 1995 as an alternative for youthful offenders instead of them having to do prison time based on the charges that they presented at the moment of their arrest when they were when they were incarcerated. The boot camp program is set up as a militarybased program. So that way, one of our main um one of the characteristics that we do that we're very um that we feed off of is the fact that we take a defendant and we break them down completely and we re rebuild them back so that way they're a more productive citizen to the community with different thoughts and different aspects as to when they first entered the program. And the boot camp program is for individuals such as 17, 18, 19. How far do you go up for being eligible to participate in that program? >> So the boot camp program takes participants from the age of 14 to 24. Now, as part of the boot camp program, individuals who are facing life sentences, have they been admitted into the boot camp program? >> Yes, we have had plenty of participants that have charges that are punishable by life. >> In this case, Jarman Lee sentence is a firstderee felony, not a life felony, which means less than Right. >> Yes, sir. I mean, yes, sir. >> Um, do you believe that Jar Malik will benefit from the boot camp boot camp program? >> I believe any young offender, whether it's Miss Malik or anyone that comes into the system can benefit from being in the boot camp program. A lot of times we forget to understand that the youth has a different mindset when it comes to how authority is or how they were raised and they have a different way of thinking. Once they come into the program and they realize the reality of what our program is, they realize that at some point a change has to be made. And at times they're a change for better, some are not a change for better. But for the most part, if we can get them to change a little bit of their mindset and be a better person to the community or better person to place out there to show that there's growth for change for the youth. That's what our program stands for. >> And my last question is, why is the boot camp such a beneficial program? We offer a lot of different um things when they're in the boot camp program. We teach them, one of the big biggest things that we teach them is discipline and self-control. They do offer, we do also provide them with anger management classes, life skill classes that um they may never have thought of having or wanting. They learn, you know, different trades while they're in the program. they become they if they're not GED or do not have a high school diploma, that's one of our requirements is that they leave with that extra certificate showing change that they want to grow and they want to make a difference in their own life. Then when they're out in phase three, our program is based on three different phases. Phase one, phase two, and phase three. when they're out there in the phase three uh portion of our program, they are to now become productive citizens in the community. They're to work. They're to go to school. They're supposed to do something productive when it comes to our requirements. We've had plenty of cadetses that have come into our program that are now part of aviation um companies that have become aviation certified because we in things that they never thought they wanted to have they are now encouraged to do something different and better with theirelves. >> Thank you very much. Thank you, >> judge.