15-year-old sentenced to 20 years in adult prison for killing a man when she was 13
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ke’mani Narda Hill, 15, has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison after entering a plea of nolo contendere to adult charges of manslaughter with a firearm, armed robbery, shooting into a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a minor, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
Original arrest
At about 11:42 a.m. on April 19, 2024, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Officers responded to Tiger Bay Apartments (484 SE 24th Dr.) and found a male victim, later identified as Wilber Perez, deceased inside his vehicle.
Surveillance video from the complex reportedly showed the victim arriving and parking near Building 4. About two minutes later, the vehicle rapidly reversed, swerved, and crashed into the leasing office.
A witness who was in the victim’s vehicle said the victim was on the phone with someone when he arrived at the complex; after he parked, several black juveniles walked up to the driver’s side window, then one of the juveniles, later identified as Zion James (14 at the time), snatched a bag of marijuana from the victim’s lap and ran. When the victim began backing out of the parking space, the witness said, another juvenile, later identified as Hill (13 at the time), stuck a gun through the window, and then the witness heard a gunshot. The victim drove away quickly and then crashed into the building, and the witness said she noticed at that time that the victim had been shot.
Read our original article about the investigation.
Read about Zion James’s 10-year prison sentence.
Hill was originally charged with first-degree murder (capital felony), armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Plea and sentence
Today, she entered a plea of nolo contendere to manslaughter with a firearm (a lesser included offense instead of first-degree murder) and the other four original offenses. According to the plea document, the maximum sentence for the charges is life in prison.
Judge Denise Ferrero sentenced Hill to three concurrent sentences of 20 years in prison, with credit for 685 days served, followed by 10 years of probation; Hill received an additional concurrent sentence of 15 years in prison for shooting into an occupied vehicle and was also sentenced to 364 days with credit for 364 days served for possession of a firearm by a minor. While gain time can be applied to the other sentences, the 20-year sentence for armed robbery is a minimum mandatory sentence.
Assistant State Attorneys Glenn Bryan and Dean Zipes led the prosecution team.
I am deeply sadden by this young girl being sent to prison as a juvenile for 20 years to adult prison. I am holding a vigil in her honor at the corner of Hawthorne Rd and University Ave. tonight at 10pm we be signing the following song please learn the words in Ke’mani name.
As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
And his mama cries
‘Cause if there’s one thing that she don’t need
It is another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
People, don’t you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me
Are we too blind to see?
Do we simply turn our heads
And look the other way
Well, the world turns
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
Then one night in desperation
The young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car
Tries to run, but he don’t get far
And his mama cries
As a crowd gathers ’round an angry young man
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
And as her young man dies
(In the ghetto)
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’
Another little baby child is born
In the ghetto
(In the ghetto)
And his mama cries
(In the ghetto)
(In the ghetto)
(Ah)
A vigil for the girl who murdered the guy who she and her friends had just robbed of a bag of weed (in the ghetto)?
What in the hell is wrong with you?
Insane.
Or this over your head too? Do I need to explain satire to you too?
Satire is a genre of literature, art, and performing arts that uses humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize human vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings. Often employed as a form of social or political commentary, its ultimate goal is typically to provoke thought, challenge authority, or inspire improvement by making its targets appear ridiculous or reprehensible
For someone that’s Captain Obvious you don’t get the obvious here do you maybe you read it again then have some explain it to you if you still don’t get it
How about holding a vigil for the the person that the little bitch killed I don’t think 20 years is enough in prison. She should’ve got Life.
Your vigil is for the wrong person. Not saying that the man was right in selling drugs, but he didn’t deserve to be shot and killed. A 13 yr old had no business with a gun, but once she picked it up and pulled the trigger she accepted the consequences that now comes with her actions.
Some of you don’t get satire or the joke.
Why even post a joke about this situation if that’s all that was?
I am assumed it was obvious I wasn’t on the side of Ke’mani when I pointed it out the by using a Elvis song from 1969 about the harsh realties of life in the ghetto.
Some of you either aren’t smart don’t have a sense of humor or act like a bunch of democrats when you don’t get something.
S20, I got your satire but it went over like a lead balloon here. I bet it was received better in the mpr during shift briefing.
Do the crime and you should do the time. Perhaps the ‘adults’ who were responsible for bringing her into this world could have been more responsible as a parent?
Isn’t Tiger Bay apts a taxpayer funded Dem NGO section 8 outfit? And located down the street from a tax funded public health clinic where the juvenile could have received crisis counseling for free?
Case closed
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At least sentencing is good for the plea bargain. Won’t see her for 20 years.