Fatal bathroom fight sentence: Teen gets 6 months in program

Fatal bathroom fight sentence: Teen gets 6 months in program

Even though the mother of victim Amy Inita Joyner-Francis and a state prosecutor implored the judge to send Trinity Carr to a juvenile prison, the judge sentenced her to six months at Grace Cottage — a secure residential program for female youth near Wilmington. He also banned her from social media and ordered her to complete various other forms of probation and community service until age 21.

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"It is a case in which no one is looking to determine who wins and who loses because everyone has lost," said Family Court Judge Robert Coonin. "The community has lost, the defendants and their families have lost, and most importantly, Amy's family has lost.

"Nothing that any of us say or do here can ever change that — myself included."

Last April, 16-year-old Joyner-Francis died after a brutal fight in the bathroom of Howard High School of Technology exacerbated her pre-existing heart condition. Dozens of girls watched the confrontation as it unfolded, and at least two recorded it on their cellphones.

Video and social media postings helped the state secure convictions against two out of the three girls accused of having a role in the planning and carrying out of the attack.

In Family Court in Wilmington on Monday, the two girls — Carr and the other student — appeared before Coonin for sentencing.

Although Joyner-Francis' family did not speak, Deputy Attorney General Phillip Casale read a letter from her mother in which she said changes need to be made to the criminal justice system so juveniles will think twice before harming anyone.

In the letter, Joyner-Francis' mother recalled her daughter as a child "full of life" who dreamed of becoming a doctor or pursuing a law career.

"As Amy's mother, I am very proud of the positive person she has become," Joyner said. "Amy never ceased to amaze me with how mature and kind she was."

Casale argued that a prison term would send a message to Carr and the community about what is expected of teens, even though her conviction for criminally negligent homicide and third-degree conspiracy came with no mandatory incarceration in Family Court.

Prosecutors sought last year to have Carr tried as an adult in Superior Court, where she could have faced up to eight years in prison, but the judge determined she was amenable to rehabilitation in Family Court.

Carr's attorney, John Deckers, argued that the cornerstone of juvenile justice is that children shouldn't be judged by the worst thing they've ever done. The focus must be rehabilitation and the best interest of the child, he said.

"Children are well worth the investment of time and services because they are mentally, psychologically resilient and open to change," he said. "Their behavior is correctable, and they are capable of becoming caring, productive members of society."

Coonin decided that prison in another state would not be appropriate. He ordered Carr to be taken to Grace Cottage, followed by non-residential after-care treatment until age 19 and then two years of adult probation.

The other student, who was found delinquent of third-degree conspiracy, was sentenced to 18 months of community supervision and 300 hours of community service.

Coonin said he hopes that by banning both from social media while they are serving their sentences, it will help them regain an "appropriate appreciation" for others and understand the effect of social media.

“I hope, with this sentence, that you can gain the tools to understand and perhaps help others so this horrible event does not get repeated," Coonin said.

USA TODAY is not naming two of the teens because one was acquitted and one faced less-serious charges.

At the center of the prosecution's case during a bench trial in Family Court in April was cellphone video of the assault. The video shows Carr dragging Joyner-Francis by her long, braided hair through a handicap-accessible stall in the bathroom. Carr swings her arms and lands punches onto the head and torso of Joyner-Francis, who was on the floor clutching her purse.

Coonin, in his ruling in April, said high school students should know that a fight could result in serious injury. Carr's failure to perceive the risk assumed in the attack constituted a "gross deviation" from the standard of conduct of her peers, he said.

"As all noted, Amy can never be brought back," he said. "But this is something that will hopefully give closure to all involved and allow for this community to heal."

Sherry Dorsey Walker, former Wilmington councilwoman who was acting as a spokeswoman for Joyner-Francis’ family, said the family knew the type of justice they wanted would not be possible with the case being tried in Family Court.

"I don't think there will ever be anything such as closure as it pertains to this situation because Amy will never come home," she said. "So while one of the assailants gets to be at Grace Cottage and her parents can come visit her on a regular basis that is not something Amy's family can do."

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#TrinityCarr #AmyInitaJoynerFrancis