A 16-year-old Mt. Vernon juvenile has been sentenced to 28 years in prison in connection with the January shooting death of a 16-year-old Mt. Vernon girl.
Decoleis Dunn-Harris had earlier pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Court to an armed violence charge in connection with the death of Julissa Mercedes Laslie. Armed violence through the discharge of a firearm and aggravated battery with firearm charges were dropped as part of the plea.
Dunn-Harris will have to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence. The judge issued a finding of great bodily harm before handing down the sentence. When Dunn-Harris gets out of prison he will have to serve three years of mandatory supervised release. He was also given credit for 308 days already served. Dunn-Harris was on juvenile parole at the time of his arrest.
Mt. Vernon Police say the shooting occurred in the 1800 block of Lamar. They responded when receiving a 911 call where all the telecommunicator heard was screaming. Dunn-Harris was initially taken into custody for questioning after he was found with a handgun. Leslie was taken to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries.
