CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A teenage girl was sentenced to between 42 and 60 months in prison in connection with the fatal stabbing of another teenager.
Tyesha Roberts, 17, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Thursday in the death of 18-year-old Laqueda Hall.
Hall was killed at a home on Pennsylvania Avenue, located off Highway 16 in northwest Charlotte, in June. Police said she burst into the house and began hitting Roberts, who had started dating the father of her child.
"She tried to defend herself by blocking punches with her forearms. That was not working," Julia Mimms, Roberts' attorney, said. "There happened to be a knife next to her on the kitchen counter and she picked it up and swung it one time."
That one time was enough to leave a three-inch deep gash in Hall's neck, killing her.
The victim's family said they felt cheated by Roberts' plea deal.
"How can someone just take another human being's life and get nothing?" Doris Hall, the victim's mother, said.
"It's crazy how sometimes you can get more time selling dope that you do killing a person," Ja'Michael Hall, the victim's brother, said.
Prosecutors said they're aware of the family's concerns about the plea deal, which allowed Roberts to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter instead of murder, but said they think it was an appropriate decision.
Roberts will be given credit for time served.
Previous Stories: July 7, 2010: Police Charge 16-Year-Old Girl In Fatal Stabbing July 6, 2010: Judge Sets Bond For Teen Charged In Fatal Stabbing