Juvenile in Jacob Shooting Death Sentenced to Dept of Juvenile Justice

The juvenile who admitted to the shooting death of Kaylee Jacob of Effingham has been sentenced to the Department of Juvenile Justice until he turns 21.

Judge Kimberly Koester imposed the sentence after hearing testimony from both of Kaylee's parents during a dispositional hearing Thursday morning. Judge Koester noted it is an "indeterminate term" in the Department of Juvenile Justice since it will be up to the Department, not her, who decides whether the 16-year-old serves until he's 21.

(KAYLEE JACOB)

Judge Koester also ruled that the juvenile will have to cover the court costs and will have to make restitution of $10,360 to the Jacob family for the cost of Kaylee's funeral.

Wednesday would have been Kaylee's 17th birthday.

State's Attorney Bryan Kibler asked for the sentence to the Department of Juvenile Justice. As factors, he noted the juvenile is within two years of turning 18 when he would have been charged as an adult; the youth's past juvenile record and that he was on probation when he committed this offense; the juvenile's "slew" of discipline problems in school; a repeated series of bad decisions by the juvenile; an effort to deter others from similar actions; and the lack of a family structure to keep tabs on the juvenile.

Public Defender Janet Fowler countered that the juvenile undertands the magnitude of what he's done; he understands he's lost his best friend; and he doesn't have parents who try to guide him.

In imposing sentence, Judge Koester repeated a phrase she's used before: "there is absolutely nothing the Court can do to make this right". She said the decision to have the juvenile incarcerated is necessary to insure protection of the public. She also ruled that the juvenile is eligible for treatment.

The juvenile pointed a stolen handgun at Kaylee while the two were horsing around in a car last October and pulled the trigger, having taken the clip out of the gun and believing the weapon was unloaded. There was a bullet in the chamber, though, and it struck Kaylee, fatally wounding her. Both prosecutors and the defense stated there is nothing to indicate that the juvenile intended to harm the girl.

During their statements, both Kaylee's father, Steven Jacob and mother, Crystal Gonzalez, said they still struggle every day with the loss of their daughter. Both displayed a photo of their daughter while making their statements.

Steven Jacob said of his daughter, "She still had too much to do to just be gone."