This would have taken the strength of 10 men for me not to kill this man in the courtroom. No regard for life whatsoever.
21 yrs old
5 consecutive life sentences
Cleveland man admits to killing five, including baby, immediately sentenced to life
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man on Wednesday was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences after he admitted to killing five members of his friend's family and wounding a 10-year-old girl in 2014, avoiding a potential death sentence.
James Sparks-Henderson pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated murder in an emotional and chaotic hearing just two days before his death penalty trial was set to begin.
A relative of the victims lunged toward Sparks-Henderson's table and was intercepted by deputies after telling the 21-year-old to "wipe that smirk off your face."
The relative, Delray Johnson, was wrestled from the courtroom.
The plea required Sparks-Henderson to take responsibility for killing Lemon Bryant, 60, Shaylona Williams, 17, and Ja'rio Taylor, 18, who were inside their house on Nov. 21, 2014 on East 93rd Street, then shooting and killing Sherita Johnson, 41, and wounding her 10-year-old daughter as they pulled into the driveway.
Johnson was 26 to 28 weeks pregnant. Her baby, Juwan, was delivered at a hospital shortly after the shooting and died 16 minutes later. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said the child died of prematurity, and ruled the death a homicide.
Sparks-Henderson, after shooting the three people inside the home, took out his cellphone and snapped his own crime-scene style photographs of the bodies, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor Blaise Thomas said in court Wednesday.
21 yrs old
5 consecutive life sentences
Cleveland man admits to killing five, including baby, immediately sentenced to life
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man on Wednesday was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences after he admitted to killing five members of his friend's family and wounding a 10-year-old girl in 2014, avoiding a potential death sentence.
James Sparks-Henderson pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated murder in an emotional and chaotic hearing just two days before his death penalty trial was set to begin.
A relative of the victims lunged toward Sparks-Henderson's table and was intercepted by deputies after telling the 21-year-old to "wipe that smirk off your face."
The relative, Delray Johnson, was wrestled from the courtroom.
The plea required Sparks-Henderson to take responsibility for killing Lemon Bryant, 60, Shaylona Williams, 17, and Ja'rio Taylor, 18, who were inside their house on Nov. 21, 2014 on East 93rd Street, then shooting and killing Sherita Johnson, 41, and wounding her 10-year-old daughter as they pulled into the driveway.
Johnson was 26 to 28 weeks pregnant. Her baby, Juwan, was delivered at a hospital shortly after the shooting and died 16 minutes later. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said the child died of prematurity, and ruled the death a homicide.
Sparks-Henderson, after shooting the three people inside the home, took out his cellphone and snapped his own crime-scene style photographs of the bodies, assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor Blaise Thomas said in court Wednesday.
