Boy, 14, learns his fate for killing 17-year-old cheerleader at a house party

The 14-year-old boy who fatally shot a cheerleader at a house party in Arizona last year has learned his fate.

Hailey Stephens, a 17-year-old cheerleader at Casa Grande Union High School, was killed last November after being shot in the head by a stray bullet at a party in an abandoned house.

The boy accused in her death, who was just 13 years old at the time of the shooting, was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday but will only serve time behind bars until his 18th birthday.

“True justice to me means that Hailey’s murder would mean spending the rest of their lives in prison, but under Arizona state law, this is what justice for Hailey looks like,” Vanessa Stephens, Hailey’s mother, said. Arizona’s family.

‘I’m still trying to make peace with that. There is no closure. This sadness will stay with me until the day I die.’

The boy accused in her death, who was just 13 years old at the time of the shooting, was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday.

The party, which took place at a vacant house along East Silver Reef Road in Casa Grande, quickly turned deadly after a gunfight broke out between several teenagers around 1:30 a.m.

Stephens and her boyfriend, Kiley Mendoza, 17, were gruesomely caught in the crossfire of the frenzied shooting spree — at least 60 shots were fired back and forth — as they tried to leave the party.

Police said the girls were simply “innocent bystanders” to the shooting.

The teenage boys tried to run away through a neighbor’s backyard before police arrived on the scene. Fox 10 reported.

Stephens was shot in the head and taken to a Phoenix hospital in critical condition before succumbing to the injury a few hours later.

Mendoza was shot in the arm and survived, but is left with grief and emotional trauma after her friend’s death.

Stephens and her friend were gruesomely caught in the crossfire of the frenzied shooting between multiple teens

At least 60 shots were fired the night of the tragedy

The abandoned house where the party took place was destroyed and riddled with bullets after the battle

“You know, if we left a minute later or earlier, we wouldn’t be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Mendoza told Fox 10.

Nine teenagers were arrested in connection with the shooting; five of them were charged with murder and the other four with criminal trespass.

But Stephens’ killer was the only one to go to trial and was tried as a juvenile in Pinal County.

Due to Arizona law, the now 14-year-old could not be tried as an adult.

Court documents revealed that the girls had never seen the boy before the shooting, as he was from the Coolidge area, Fox 10 reported.

Stephens’ mother told Arizona’s Family that she feels closer to her daughter and finds comfort sitting in her bedroom.

“She was a really good person,” she said. ‘I wasn’t there. I only knew what I heard. I had to see it for myself.’

The abandoned house was destroyed and riddled with bullets after the battle. But seeing the evidence and learning the details firsthand during the trial helped her mother come to terms with the heartbreaking reality.

Stephens’ brother, who is now 13, is the same age as her killer at the time of the crime.

“The prosecutor had to convince me too,” her mother told Arizona’s Family. “It’s really hard to accept that a 13-year-old could do this.”

Three of Stephens’ closest friends testified in her murder trial and are now mourning their childhood friend.

“Any 14-year-old shouldn’t have to attend a party in the first place, nor should they have a gun in their hand when they’re looking at someone else with it,” La’Tajanique Gaines, a close friend, told Fox 10.

Stephens was a straight-A student with many college offers, and he was a top cheerleader.

The owner of the home also noted that the home was completely destroyed after the party

The balloon release will take place on Nov. 23 at the high school football field, organized by the foundation created by her family to commemorate their loved one.

Stephens’ killer may only be behind bars until his 18th birthday under Arizona law

She had plans to attend Arizona State University and cheer for the Sun Devils, Fox 10 reported.

“I’m numb to it,” her mother told Arizona’s Family. “I’m still stuck with Hailey.”

The family created the Hailey Lynn Stephens Foundation in memory of their loved one in March of this year – a charitable organization to support graduating seniors who wish to continue their education beyond high school and promote community goodwill.

The website, which describes Stephens as a “vibrant, uplifting and hardworking student,” aims to support seniors who embody the same characteristics.

The balloon release, organized by the nonprofit, will take place Nov. 23 at the high school football field.

The 14-year-old boy’s sentencing is scheduled for November 4.