HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Henrico teen pleaded guilty Monday to murdering Lucia Bremer.
Bremer, 13, was shot and killed while she and a friend walked near Godwin High School in western Henrico back in March 2021.
Dylan Williams, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, entered his plea deals to first-degree murder, felony use of a firearm, and attempted murder of the friend who was walking with Bremer at the time. Prosecutors plan to withdraw some of the lesser charges he faced.
The agreement also puts a limit of 60 years to how long Williams can be sentenced to prison.
He will be sentenced in April.
Bremer's parents released the following statement about the plea deal:
Our daughter Lucia was killed on March 26, 2021. Today, the person charged with murdering her and the attempted murder of her friend entered a guilty plea as the result of an agreement carefully curated by the Henrico County Commonwealth Attorney's office.
The criminal and legal process started immediately after Lucia's murder, when neighbors and bystanders who witnessed the event volunteered critical information to the Henrico County police department.
This information, combined with tips from our neighbors and the strong investigative work of the homicide detectives, led to the identification and swift arrest of Lucia's murderer.
The progress toward justice continued with the careful collection of evidence and analysis by experts.
The solid case was then brought to the Commonwealth Attorney's office, who has since steadfastly worked to prosecute these crimes with their experience and with compassion toward our families.
To all of these civil servants and to our community, we offer our wholehearted gratitude.
We want our community to know that today's plea deal has our full endorsement.
While this process has been arduous, taking twists and turns and with delays that likely could have been avoided, it is the outcome that matters.
We had the satisfaction of watching Lucia's murderer admit his guilt, and that is not something we were ever assured of before today.
And still, this process continues.
We now turn our focus on the sentencing hearing, which will be the only time in the criminal proceeding during which we can convey all that was stolen from us: our beautiful daughter Lucia. her bright smile and funny spirit, her ability to make connections, and her future contributions to our community. It will also be an important time for the court to hear about the dangerous tendencies of her killer. We are hopeful that the court will carefully consider these factors and exact a thoughtful and lengthy sentence, a sentence that will confirm that Lucia's murderer will not ever again be a danger to the public.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Meredith and Jonathan Bremer
This is a developing story that will be updated.
