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Teen pleads guilty in fatal beating of 16-year-old at Pittsburgh group home

PITTSBURGH — A teenager pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges related to his involvement in the 2015 beating death of a 16-year-old at a Pittsburgh group home, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Yusuf Shepard was 15 when he and another teenager, 16-year-old Malik Crosby, attacked 16-year-old Nicholas Grant at Circle C Youth and Family Services in the city’s Carrick neighborhood, police said. The facility has since been shut down.

According to authorities, Shepard put Grant in a chokehold and Grant was beaten with a broken vacuum cleaner during a fight. Grant died from his injuries days later at a hospital.

Defense attorneys have argued that the suspects were defending themselves.

On Wednesday, Shepard pleaded guilty to one count each of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and conspiracy. He received a prison sentence of five to 10 years, with credit for time served, which will be followed by five years’ probation.

Shepard’s mother, Tiffany Colton, said she knows her son did wrong, but also blames the owners and operators of Circle C.

“The Carrick center did not take care of our kids and keep them safe,” Colton said.

Colton now lives in Texas and hasn’t seen her son in two years. She said she hopes he has learned from his mistakes.

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