The 17-year-old boy who was found guilty of rape, buggery, and murder of nine-year-old Kadiesha Saunders in Westmoreland four years ago, has been sentenced to life in prison.
The teen is to serve 23 years and nine months before he is eligible for parole.
He is also to serve 18 years for rape and 10 years for buggery.
The sentences will run concurrently.
Home Circuit Court Judge Justice Courtney Daye, before handing down the sentence, said the teenager had to get life imprisonment for the horrific murder.
Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn had suggested life imprisonment and that he serve 20 years before he is eligible for parole.
But the judge said the teenager's conduct is worrying, noting that he showed no sympathy and should therefore get more years than what was suggested.
Justice Daye said he took into consideration the aggravating factors, to include the fact that the child was innocent and vulnerable.
The minor, through the social inquiry report, was disappointed that he was found guilty.
During the trial, the court heard that on June 5, 2018, the nine-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and killed by the boy, who was 13 at the time and lived near her.
The girl was killed after she accepted his invitation to pick apples as they walked home from school.
The teenager, in an unsworn statement, said he was forced to commit the act after he was held up by two men, one carrying a machete and the other a gun.
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