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We’ve been following the Bresha Meadows story for going on two years now. She’s the 15-year-old teen who shot her allegedly abusive father Jonathan Meadows in his sleep, nine months ago. After the shooting, Brandi, Bresha’s mother called the police. Jonathan was taken to the hospital and died as a result of his injuries.
Though her father’s history of abuse has been documented, going back to 2011, Meadows was arrested and there was a possibility that she could be charged as a adult, with the possibility of spending life in prison.
But after nine months in a juvenile detention center, it looks like things may be turning around for Meadows.
According to the Huffington Post, there is an end in sight. Bresha’s lawyer Ian Friedman told reporters that prosecutors have offered the 15-year-old a plea deal.
Under the deal, which is not yet completely finalized, Bresha would serve 18 months. The nine months she’s already spent in the juvenile center would be included in this time and the remaining nine months would be spent in an in-patient mental health care facility, receiving treatment for PTSD, anxiety and depression.
As a part of the plea, Bresha would have to plead “true” to the involuntary manslaughter charges. Afterward, her record would be sealed and then expunged so she can start her adult life without a criminal record.
Friedman said, “There has been too much trauma here,” he said. “A treatment sentence would meet the desires of the family, and we as counsel would be comfortable with it as well.”
Bresha’s family members are happy about the deal.
Brianna Meadows, her sister said she’s excited to take her sister to Applebee’s. “I want to do everything we used to do,” she said. “Go to the mall. Go to the movies. Go out to eat.”
Her brother Jonathan Jr. said he wanted to put his sister in a headlock. “I’m usually cool, calm and relaxed,” he said, “but this morning I was so nervous!”
And her mother said, “I am beyond relieved. I can sleep tonight, knowing that she’s going to get the help she needs.”
Bresha’s maternal aunt, Martina Latessa, a Cleveland detective who specializes in domestic violence, thanked Friedman for taking on Bresha’s case pro-bono.
“If he did not step in, that little girl would have been just another black girl incarcerated because the system let her down,” Latessa said. “She would have fallen through the cracks.”
She also said that one day she hopes Bresha will be able to share her story with other victims of domestic violence.
“No one wants to talk about it, it’s such a secret. In her case, it almost killed her.”
Bresha’s final pretrial hearing is set for May 22.
Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of “Bettah Days.” You can follow her on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter @VDubShrug.
The post Bresha Meadows Offered A Plea Deal In The Alleged Murder Of Her Father appeared first on MadameNoire.