Jesse Stone (Law&Crime Network).
The teenage boy who sexually assaulted a 91-year-old woman in a brutal nighttime attack was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison.
Jesse Stone, who was 14 years old when he committed the crime and is now 15, received 237 days of time-served credit, and his incarceration will be followed by 30 years of sex offender probation. All told, he will be an elderly man himself by the time before he finishes serving the entire term.
Prosecutors in Marion County, Florida, said Stone sneaked into the woman’s home while she was sleeping and attacked her. Footage shows detectives confronting him about his DNA at the scene. He pleaded guilty as an adult to one count each of sexual assault by someone under 18 years toward a victim over the age of 12 and burglary of a dwelling with battery.
During Friday’s hearing, the state emphasized the especially violent nature of the attack. She also noted that the woman had previously been so good to Stone.
“This was a woman that only ever showed him loving kindness throughout his time living in the neighborhood with her,” prosecutor Katrina Self said.
The woman had “considered the defendant to be a friend,” she added.
During the attack, Stone had covered the woman’s face with a pillow so she couldn’t see him. He could’ve suffocated her, and he continued to restrain her even after she managed to fight back, Self said. The state also maintained that Stone acted with “sexual intent.”
“This was not him simply panicking,” Self said, adding that Stone’s actions were intentional decisions.
“His actions are egregious and the victim in this case is lucky to be alive under these circumstances,” Judge Lisa Herndon said when she set out to sentence Stone.
Defense attorney Jonathan Mills emphasized the 15-year-old’s age and lack of prior criminal history.
“His brain was nowhere near fully developed when this incident happened,” the attorney said.
Mills described Stone as a teenager who was “addicted to pornography,” and lacked a father figure. He maintained his client was remorseful. Citing good grades — As and Bs — the attorney also argued Stone was amenable to sex offender treatment.
