Sofia Koval, 14, convicted of killing 79-year-old grandma – NBC 6 South Florida

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her 79-year-old grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes in May was sentenced to juvenile detention after pleading no contest to the death, prosecutors said.

Sofia Koval entered a manslaughter plea Wednesday in adult court and was immediately sentenced to up to three years in prison under the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice maximum risk program, the Broward district attorney's office said.

After serving the program's maximum sentence, she will be under community supervision until she turns 21. However, she is expected to be transferred to federal custody for deportation to her native Ukraine because she is not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said.

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes after she allegedly beat the victim with a belt, causing him to die, will be charged as an adult, the Broward District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Koval was charged with the May 23 murder of 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval, who was found bludgeoned to death.

The alleged beating occurred at an apartment in the Pearl Condominiums on Northwest 41st Street. Authorities responded there after receiving a call about an unresponsive woman. They met Koval's son, who said he went to a friend's house from about 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and left Koval with his 14-year-old daughter.

He said when he returned, he found Koval lifeless on the ground, with abrasions on his neck and bruises on his face, arms and legs, officials said.

According to an arrest report, the teen told her father that her grandmother had scratched her and that she “hit the victim multiple times with a belt” to defend herself. Then she started crying and said, “She’s sorry for what she did.”

Yevheniia Koval was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

In a redacted arrest report, the teen allegedly told someone in Ukrainian that “the victim was already dying and that she had helped him die.” That person said that the Ukrainian word the teen used did not translate well into English, but that's what she said.

According to the teen's father, Sofia Koval had recently moved from Ukraine and was exhibiting “behavioral problems that he believes were due to the war she witnessed in Ukraine and separation from her mother,” one said Arrest report. He had taken her phone on the day of the murder to punish her.

The prosecution said prosecutors met extensively with the victim's family before agreeing to the teen's change of plea and said the victim's son, who is also the teen's father, “fully supports the outcome and.” “Thanked the prosecution, the defense and the judge for the way they handled the case.”

The maximum sentence the teen faced was up to 15 years in adult prison.

The judge overseeing the case told Koval that if she violates any of the conditions of her sentence in the future, she would be sent back to him and face the maximum sentence of 15 years.

“Due to the heinous nature of the crime and after considering all of the information presented by the defense, I believe it is appropriate that this case be transferred to adult court and juvenile detention be imposed,” Broward District Attorney Harold Pryor said in a statement Wednesday. “We considered all options and worked closely with the victim's family and defense attorneys at the Broward Public Defender's Office to find an appropriate solution that holds her accountable but also takes into account her age and the circumstances of this crime.”