HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Two years after 13-year-old Lucia Bremer was killed during a walk home in Henrico's West End, the now 16-year-old boy who confessed to her murder was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Dylan Williams accepted a plea deal in the 2021 case in January and was facing a maximum 60-year prison sentence for first-degree murder, felony use of a firearm and attempted murder. Prosecutors dropped three additional charges because of the plea.
Judge Richard Wallerstein called the case a "tragedy of unspeakable proportions."
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The judge handed down his sentencing after reading 75 victim witness statements from the 13-year-old's friends and family.
Lucia's mother, father and two brothers were among those who spoke at the hearing. Her dad recalled watching his wife saying, 'Baby girl, wake up' over and over. He added that he didn't understand that someone who commits a crime like this could one day walk free.
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The girl's best friend said she was walking with Lucia when the then 14-year-old Williams put a gun to her head in her family's garage. The friend said she slapped the gun away and then ran inside. That is when Williams shot and killed Lucia.
The friend's father said his daughter has survivor's guilt.
The girl, who has been in counseling for the trauma, told the court "losing your best friend is the worst thing" before bursting into tears.
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A neuropsychologist who conducted a neuro-psych exam on Williams told the judge the teen has an antisocial personality disorder, also known as sociopathy.
Williams has a high risk to re-offend because there are no effective treatments for the disorder and he has low motivation to change, according to the neuropsychologist.
However, Williams' lawyer, Kevin Parnell, disagreed with that diagnosis. He said there has to be a chance for rehabilitation since Williams is "just a kid." He reiterated that Williams never knew his father and that his mother died from asthma in front of him in 2018.
Before the judge issued his sentence, Williams took the stand and apologized to Lucia's family. He said that if he could, he would exchange his life to bring Lucia back.
