100 Years For Giving His 14 Year Old Niece A Gun

Donnell Flora, 27, has had numerous run-ins with the law, but none of them has been so serious enough to earn him decades behind bars. He was previously found guilty of shoplifting and possession of stolen property. 

While those were enough to give him a bad name, they weren’t bad enough to earn him a century behind bars. That is until he committed this heinous offense.

During an April 28, 2014, Flora was accused of giving a gun to his 14-year-old niece to attack her peers on Chicago’s South Side. His niece fired shots, ending in the death of 14-year-old Enid Martin and injuring a 16-year-old, although the victim has since recovered.

After the hearing of his case, the presiding judge found Flora guilty of the murder of Martin and attempted murder of the other girl. The murder conviction earned him 65 years, while the attempted murder earned him 35 years.

According to authorities, the girls had disputes over a boy, when Flora did what he thought was a good idea in helping his niece. Now, his niece is awaiting trial in a murder case in a juvenile court.

Investigators revealed that the gun used in the killing wasn’t legally acquired by Flora as it had been falsely reported as missing before it ended up in Flora’s hand.

“There is no excuse or rationalization for giving a child a gun to take to a ridiculous fight about a boy — none,” Judge Thaddeus Wilson said in court on Monday during the ruling.

Police reported that Mr. Flora even went as far as escorting his niece to the scene of the confrontation while riding in his wheelchair!!!!!  He had been shot and paralyzed some time back in Chicago. Yet, he still thought that giving his 14 year old niece a gun was a good idea.

Another 16-year-old was also placed on probation by the court after it was found that she took the gun from the shooter and handed it back to Flora. The teen has also been placed on probation over the action.

The prosecution was happy with the verdict, saying, “We are pleased with this sentence for a man who gave a deadly weapon to a 14-year-old girl, which she used to end the life of another 14-year-old child,” Anita Alvarez, the state’s attorney for Cook County, said in a statement. “We hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the families of both victims as they continue on their path to healing.”

Flora’s lawyer, however, thought that his client’s sentence was exaggerated since Flora’s intention wasn’t that “anybody be killed or hurt.”

This assertion is rediculous. Anytime someone knowingly chooses to use a weapon the intentions are to hurt and kill.

While much of the commentary that I've read on this story suggests that Flora got sentenced to an excessive amount of jail time. I believe that he got exactly what he deserved. As an adult our job is to build children up, not tear them down and ruin their lives. He has done irreparable damage to this young girls life, and 100 years isn't nearly enough. SHE'S HIS NIECE!!

PR