Angellyh Yambo's mom Yanely Henriquez says she 'never forgives' daughter's killer, slams plea deal
BRONX, NEW YORK: Yanely Henriquez, the mother of Angellyh Yambo, 16, who was murdered by a stray bullet in New York City last year, criticized her daughter's shooter's plea deal as overly mild.
The 16-year-old reportedly attended University Prep Charter High School in the Bronx, New York. On April 9, 2022, she was killed by a stray bullet from a ghost gun while going home from school.
Her accused teenage killer Jeremiah Ryan, then 17, was charged with murder and agreed to a plea deal. Meanwhile, Yambo's loved ones described her as a wonderful person who enjoyed music and dancing.
Why did Angellyh Yambo's mother slam Bronx DA's plea deal with Jeremiah Ryan?
Angellyh Yambo's mother Yanely Henriquez told the New York Post that she wished her daughter's killer would be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison.
"I will never forgive him for what he did to me and my family and that’s never going to change," the devastated mother stated.
Jeremiah Ryan, now 18, is scheduled to be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison this Friday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Henriquez stated, "He has a second chance of life, but my daughter doesn't," while also acknowledging that if the matter had gone to trial, "a lot would have been on the line."
Did Angellyh Yambo's family really accept the deal?
Ryan was charged with firing six shots with a ghost pistol - an untraceable 9mm Polymer 80 - which can be acquired online and built at home.
Yambo, a straight-A student at University Prep Charter High School in the Bronx, was allegedly involved in a street brawl between two rival gangs. Two other students also sustained injuries in the melee.
According to Patrice O'Shaughnessy, a spokeswoman for the Bronx District Attorney's Office, Ryan's deal was only reached after Yambo's family was consulted.
The family accepted the agreement, according to O'Shaughnessy, "because they did not want to sit through a trial."
"This is definite accountability for what he did and justice for Angellyh," she added.
Angellyh Yambo's mother tries hard to muster the courage
Henriquez is crafting a statement to be read in court during the sentencing hearing. In the aftermath of her daughter's murder, she described writing the statement as "one of the hardest things I have had to deal with."
She stated that she will have to "be brave" for her two sons. "I’m going to have to find the courage and strength and everything to stand up there and [read] it. I know it’s going to be very hard," she said.
Deputy Police Chief Timothy McCormack said in the aftermath of Yambo's murder, "We have two families that are completely destroyed right now - our victim's family and our shooter's family."
