Michigan teen pleads guilty to killing 4 in school shooting
An Oklahoma teenager charged with killing four members of his school’s football and wrestling teams pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of his former girlfriend and three other members of her family.
Jasmine Collins, 18, is a rising freshman at Oklahoma City University and a promising member of the Sooners wrestling and lacrosse teams. Her parents had hoped she’d enter the classroom as an English and social studies major and graduate on time.
Instead she was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the charge of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl. She’ll serve time on the other charges will will be ordered to serve between 25 and 40 years before she is eligible for parole.
The victims’ families were present as Collins was sentenced.
“One thing that has haunted me and will haunt me forever is how this entire situation unfolded,” Collins’ mother, Heather Collins, told the court. She said the family never should have trusted his actions.
At an earlier hearing, Collins’ defense lawyer told the judge that she had come to his office and was upset that the judge had not allowed her to tell her version of the facts. But then her family attorney, who had been in court with Collins throughout the week, stepped in.
He told the judge that her version of events was not entirely true.
The prosecutor said the teen shot his former girlfriend five times, seriously wounding her, then fled to the home of his friends, who called police and tried to stop him.
“You will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole,” District Judge Frank McCullough said. With a noose around his neck, Collins cried as the judge gave her a life sentence.
Oklahoma’s first female judge was appointed on Dec. 27, 2009. She took the bench on April 1 of this year.
In the case of the slain girl, the defense attorney said police should have known there was a struggle to be sure that the gun had not accidentally gone off.
In the case of the slain girl, she was lying in a back bedroom, the defense attorney told the judge.
Collins was sentenced to life in