Teen beat grandmother to death in Broward, prosecutors say. She’s now charged as an adult
A 14-year-old girl was charged as an adult months after she was accused of beating her grandmother to death in their Broward apartment.
Prosecutors filed the adult manslaughter charge on Tuesday. Jail records indicate the teen, who the Herald is not naming due to her age, is being held at the North Broward Bureau, an adult facility in Pompano Beach.
“Because of the heinous nature of the crime and after considering everything presented by the defense so far, I believe it is appropriate that this case should be handled in adult court,” said State Attorney Harold F. Pryor in a statement on Wednesday.
In May, the girl battered her grandmother, 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval to death, according to investigators. Paramedics arrived to their Lauderdale Lakes apartment to find Yevheniia Koval on the ground with bruises on her body.
Her death was ruled a homicide, and an autopsy revealed she had bleeding in her brain.
Yevheniia Koval’s son, the father of the teen, said the girl had moved from Ukraine eight months before the incident. The teen, according to police, had been exhibiting behavioral issues after witnessing the war in Ukraine and being separated from her mother.
If found guilty she faces up to 15 years in prison, but the state attorney’s office notes that because of her age she could be sentenced to juvenile sanctions.
“We are considering all options and working closely with her attorneys at the Broward Public Defender’s Office to come up with an appropriate resolution that holds her accountable but also factors in her age and the circumstances of this offense,” Pryor said.
She also faces deportation.
READ MORE: Is mental health linked to 14 year old accused of killing her grandmother in Broward?
The girl’s father also told investigators that she hadn’t been diagnosed with mental health problems, though she had been showing signs of aggression. He also said she hadn’t been eating or sleeping.
READ MORE: Broward prosecutors take ‘measured approach’ in case of teen accused of killing grandmother
The teen was originally charged with murder in juvenile court. Prosecutors, for months, were mum about charging her as an adult, though they said they were taking “a measured approach.”
Prosecutors were supposed to announce the charging decision in juvenile court on Tuesday but the case wasn’t called.
This report may be updated as more information becomes available
