BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Emotions filled an Erie County courtroom Friday when two teenagers were sentenced for the shooting death of a 3-year-old boy, Ramone "Lucky" Carter, also known as "Red."
Carter was shot and killed on June 21, 2024, just two weeks before his 4th birthday.
WATCH: 3-year-old killed, 7-year-old injured in Buffalo shooting
Family members packed the courtroom for the emotional proceedings.
Defense attorneys pleaded for leniency, arguing the defendants were just children themselves when they shot Ramone.
However, Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan rejected that argument, telling them, "You are not the victims here."
Jahaan Taylor, who was 14 at the time, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, and Elijah Mumford, who was 16 at the time, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, followed by five years of supervised release.
The most gut-wrenching moment came when Ramone's aunt, Kimberly Adams, delivered a victim impact statement about her little nephew, who she said wasn't even old enough to tie his shoes.
She described being in the hospital room when Carter died, "the doctor said 9:51, that was his time of death. The whole room, everyone was crying, the nurses, the doctors, everyone was just devastated to see a baby lying there lifeless."
WATCH: 'You are not the victims here': 2 Buffalo teens sentenced in killing of 3-year-old Ramone Carter
Ramone's mother, Shakenya Griffin, expressed her pain.
"Because I don't have my son, and them boys are still out here living," Griffin said. "So even though they're going to be in jail, they're still living, and I don't have my son. And I always wanted to have a baby boy, and my baby boy is gone. He's with me, but he's not here with me at all."
Shakira Campbell, his older sister, described Carter as being like a son to her.
"He was just gone too soon. He was like a son to me, even though that was my brother, but I looked at him as if he was my son, like a baby I always wanted," she said.
His grandmother, Julianna Anderson, spoke about visiting his grave site and remembering his birth.
"Having to go to a grave site to see him, it doesn't feel right, and then like I was there when he was first born, his smile and everything like everything about him, he was just so adorable," Anderson said.
The teens were tried under laws for defendants under the age of 18. But they will serve time in an adult prison after they turn 21.
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