PITTSBURGH — It was an emotional day in court as a teen who shot and killed his classmate in 2023 learned his sentence today.
Jaymier Perry, 18, was sentenced to 35-years to life on Wednesday as part of a plea deal for shooting and killing his Oliver Citywide Academy classmate, Derrick Henry, in May 2023. Both boys were 15 on the day of the shooting.
“He used to be in my life every day and now he’s not,” Brandon Harris told Channel 11.
11-year-old Brandon Harris still can’t believe his big brother is gone.
“That’s not very kind what you did. It’s not worth it,” he said.
Brandon and his mom sat down with Channel 11 hours after a judge sentenced Perry.
“He has a chance of getting out in 35 years… and my son won’t ever be coming home,” Derrick’s mom, Erin Krall, said.
Derrick and Perry were both students at Oliver Citywide Academy and were about to start the school day when the two got into an argument over stolen headphones. That’s when Perry shot and killed Derrick in front of the school.
“Painful. Every hearing. Hearing and seeing what happened and the videos of what happened that day. It’s still like unbelievable. I still can’t believe he’s gone and this happened,” Krall said.
During the sentencing hearing, Derrick’s mom said Perry apologized to her and her family for killing her son.
“I really wasn’t sure what to expect from him. So I was a little surprised to hear him give a statement saying that he apologized to the family for what he did to my son,” she said.
Even though the criminal case is over, the family still has a civil case pending against Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW