A 15-year-old New York girl pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of a cheerleader classmate this year after a Mount Vernon High School celebration.
The girl, who was not publicly identified because of her age, has been promised a sentence of three to nine years in state prison after her plea, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said Tuesday. Kayla Green, 16, was killed in the altercation, which occurred on April 8, the day a parade was held to honor the boys basketball team at Mount Vernon High School for its state championship win.
"Today, the defendant has taken responsibility for ending the life of Kayla Green and now faces consequences for this tragic and devastating incident," Rocah said. "We hope the families of all impacted by this senseless violence can begin the journey to healing."
Another student was injured but was expected to make a full recovery, police said at the time. An additional assault charge in connection with that injury was dropped, the district attorney's office said.
The Mount Vernon City School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A "brawl" involving some cheerleaders broke out after the off-campus festivities, former Mount Vernon City School Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton said. Hamilton, who has since left his position, offered some details in an April livestream on the district's Facebook page.
"Our entire community is in mourning," Hamilton said at the time. "We lost a student to a stabbing who succumbed to her injuries, but we also lost a student who was the alleged assailant. And there are two families that we are grieving with."
Hamilton urged parents in the livestream to pay close attention to their children, and he said the district does not have the resources or authority to monitor every student's social media behavior.
"I understand that there are pages where fights are being posted and being sensationalized and where violence is being welcomed by some of our students, and that really needs to stop," Hamilton said.
Videos of the stabbing had been posted online and circulated among students, he said in the livestream. He asked parents to tell their kids to take those videos down as soon as possible.
An attorney representing the 15-year-old did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday. She is scheduled to be sentenced next month.