FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Sixteen-year old high school student, Teah Wimberly was, convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her high school classmate. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On Friday, Teah Wimberly took the stand for the first time. Her lawyers took another shot at trying to reduce the sentence for the shooting death of her friend, Amanda Collette.
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Wimberly with definite compunction read a statement and addressed the parents of Collette. "The focus should be on your feelings and thoughts and how this makes you feel because you're a victim as well," she said. "You're a kind loving mother, who raised an amazing daughter, who didn't deserve any of this, and I hope that one day you, her father and her little brothers can find it in your hearts to please forgive.”
Larry S. Davis Wimberly's attorney told The Associated Press that he is disappointed with the sentence and hopes "that after the appeals, she will be able to receive the help that she needs."
Wimberly's attorneys argued that Wimberly suffered from a bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder because she was sexualy abuse at a young age. Their argument was that Wimberly was temporarily insane when she pulled the trigger on her friend. Apparently the jury did not believe it.
A forensic psychologist, Dr. Trudy Block-Garfield took the stand at the Broward County Courthouse on Friday and testified for the defense'. She said repeated incidents of sexual abuse had left Wimberly with deep-rooted psychological scars. "The incident occurred between the age of 4 and 5, then it was somewhere between 5 and 6 by someone else, 11 and 12 by another person, and then around the age of 12."
The prosecution argued that Wimberly is a menace to the community and they asked for the maximum sentence.
Wimberly's attorney, Larry S. Davis, told The Associated Press that he is disappointed with the sentence and hopes "that after the appeals, she will be able to receive the help that she needs."
Amanda Collette, the mother of Collette, left the courthouse quietly without comment.
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