NEW ORLEANS — “This is my favorite picture of my son. I wear it every day,” Nekisha McGlothen said as she held up a necklace with her son’s photo on it.
That necklace was ordered about two weeks after her son, Khyron Nellon, 15, was killed last August. He was shot on Iberville Street, not far from the French Quarter in New Orleans. Three other people were shot and injured.
“He was a kid, just beginning to live and basketball was his dream,” McGlothen said.
The person responsible, a then 15-year-old boy, was arrested and charged. McGlothen let the justice system take over from there.
“Never having to deal with the system at this magnitude, my faith has always been, they’ll figure everything out, everything will be fine, but that wasn’t the case,” McGlothen said.
McGlothen said in meetings with the district attorney’s office, she thought the case would move to adult court. Last week, the now 16-year-old, was sentenced to juvenile life for one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted second-degree murder.
“He won’t be in there a day over 21, so that’s five years,” McGlothen said.
McGlothen, a school teacher, says the conviction came through a plea deal she didn’t agree to. The district attorney’s office released the following statement to Eyewitness News.
"Each referral screened by the DA's Office is handled on a case-by-case basis to ensure justice and appropriate accountability. In this case, Frederick Carter pled guilty in juvenile court and was sentenced to juvenile life in prison. Over the course of a number of meetings, our office actively engaged the victim's family throughout the prosecutorial process. The family was also present in court proceedings including the sentencing hearing, where they delivered powerful victim impact statements. We are grateful for their participation. Our hearts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victim and we are grateful for the efforts to assist us in securing justice."
McGlothen said she worries about the message her son’s case sends to young people involved in crime.
“They’re not having any remorse for what they’re doing. They’re getting a slap on the wrist and they’re going to a relaxed juvenile facility, to camp, and then they’ll be home shortly,” McGlothen said.
“I was hurt,” community advocate Michael Willis said.
Willis was surprised by the sentence too. Working with survivors and victims’ families through his H.O.P.E. organization, he’s working to make community level change to stop juvenile crime.
“It starts off at home and until we realize we have a problem as a people, we can’t keep pointing fingers and blaming everybody,” Willis said.
McGlothen turned her grief into a mission, starting “K-3 Lives.” K-3 was her son’s basketball nickname. It’s a foundation focused on community outreach like feeding the unhoused, family engagement, and school drives.
“Everything that’s done through the foundation, it’s reminded me that he’s living because this is something that he would want to do,” McGlothen said.
While not happy with the outcome of the case, McGlothen, who has six other kids at home, says it can’t weigh her down from living.
“Being a mom that lost her kid, it’s a struggle and I know if I didn’t have the faith that I have in God I would have lost myself a long time ago,” McGlothen said.
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