Teen Killer Gets 80 Years in Prison

A Maryland teenager will spend decades behind bars for fatally shooting his classmate inside their high school bathroom.

Jaylen Prince was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 20 years on Oct. 14, with all but 80 years suspended, according to a press release from the Harford County State's Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said state laws did not allow a sentence of life without parole to be handed down due to Prince's age. However, he won't be eligible for parole until at least half of his sentence is served. WBAL-TV reported that Prince is now 17, and he was 16 at the time of the shooting.

A jury found Prince guilty in May of first-degree murder and related criminal charges in connection with the September 2024 death of Warren Grant at at Joppatowne High School, per the release.

Prosecutors said Prince brought a loaded ghost gun to school in his book bag with the intention of using it before ultimately shooting Grant, WBAL-TV reported.

During the trial, Prince testified that the shooting was accidental and that it happened out of fear during an argument about a girl, CBS News reported.

On the other hand, prosecutors said a video showed Prince threatening to kill Grant four times and witnesses reported seeing him take the gun out of his backpack and shoot Grant, per CBS News. After the shooting, Prince reportedly fled the scene and the gun was never recovered.

Prosecutors said in the release that Prince had a history of violent behavior in school. Harford County Public School records showed "dozens of incidents of threats toward teachers, multiple attacks and physical violence towards peers, and continuous verbally abusive behavior," per the release. Prosecutors claimed those threats even continued after his conviction.

Prior to his sentencing, a psychologist found Prince to be an “extremely high risk for future violence," the release states.

State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey said, “No sentence will ever bring Warren back to his loved ones or make up for the fact that his life was cut short in the most tragic and senseless way."

Healey added, "It is my hope that today will help close the hardest chapter of Warren family’s lives and send the message that gun violence will not be tolerated in our schools, or in our community at all for that matter.”