A new district attorney in New Mexico claims that she will appeal to a judge's ruling on sentencing of teen convicted of killing his whole family. Bernalillo County District Attorney Kari Brandenburg has expressed her willingness to appeal on the sentencing of 18-year-old Nehemiah Griego, who killed his parents and three younger siblings.
Brandenburg's office said that they are going to appeal for their continued pursuit of justice, ABC News Go reports. The prosecutor's appeal comes after Judge John Romero ruled the decision that Griego will be sentenced as a juvenile. According to the judge, the 18-year-old s has been responsive to psychological treatment. If Griego will be imprisoned as a juvenile, he would receive treatment at the rehab, and he would be released by the time he reach the age of 21.
"We appreciate the many concerns members of the public have voiced to us regarding Judge Romero's decision to sentence Nehemiah Griego as a juvenile for the murders of his five family members," Brandenburg said in a statement, Yahoo reported.
Griego was 15 years old when he shot his parents Greg and Sarah Griego. He also killed his three other siblings, 9-year-old Zephania, 5-year-old Jael, and 2-year-old Angelina. He pleaded guilty for the murders that happened in 2013. Griego has been receiving treatment at a state facility for adolescents since May 2014. However, the court's ruling on juvenile sentencing gathered backlash from the public, including his older sister, Vanessa Lightbourne, according to KOAT.
"What I was expecting was justice. I thought justice would be served, and obviously that didn't happen," Lightbourne said. "I don't understand how somebody can kill five people and just get a slap on the wrist and basically become a free man with a clean record. It was just quite sad to hear."
Griego will be turning 18 in 2018. He admitted to killing of his entire family, convicting him of two counts of second-degree murder for his parents and three counts of child abuse resulting in death. Apart from the DA, a petition initiated by Lightbourne's friend, Emilee Ariaz collected 1,500 signatures on Monday to appeal on juvenile sentencing of Griego.
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