A Georgia teenager flew into a rage and killed her ex’s girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.
Now, she will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Recently, a Gwinnett County judge sentenced Damia Mitchell to 140 years in prison for the shooting death of Faith Burns, 20. Mitchell was found guilty and convicted by a jury of manslaughter, aggravated assault and other gang charges.
On Feb. 14, 2021, officers responded to a home at Mountain Ashe Court after a reported shooting at the residence. When officers arrived, Burns was found shot and rushed to the hospital, where she later died.
According to prosecutors, 17-year-old Mitchell had just broken up with her girlfriend, and she returned to the home to pick up her things with four other assailants, Janae Washington, Kennedy Collins, Diamond Giminez and Jocelyn Spencer. Before her arrival, the defendant had sent some violent text messages to her ex-girlfriend, and an altercation soon ensued, resulting in nineteen gunshots fired. As a result, the victim, who was at the residence and didn’t know Mitchell, was killed.
Though Mitchell had no criminal record, prosecutors argued she was a member of the notorious Nine Trey Gangster Bloods. The group is known to operate in the Atlanta area.
However, Mitchell’s family disputed the prosecutor's narrative and claimed the defendant did not have a gun. The jury also stipulated that fact but still held Mitchell responsible for the murder. The defendant’s mother, Vanissa Jackson, protested the excessive sentence, believing her daughter was used to make an example.
“These gang charges, those were just trumped up charges, false charges they put on my child. She’s not affiliated with gang members. She’s not in a gang. Basically they’re saying you’ll never see daylight ever again in your life. They want my baby to die in jail for something that’s false and bogus,” said Jackson, reported 11 Alive.
Mitchell’s co-defendants all entered plea deals. They were sentenced to four years in prison, except Washington, who was sentenced to two years in exchange for her testimony during Mitchell’s trial.
Burn’s father, Allen Burns, felt he got handed a stiffer sentence compared to the defendant but admitted his family got some justice.
“One thing I would say is that I’m upset with the sentence that I got. I got sentenced to life without my daughter. Everybody called her my twin. Looked just like me. She’s never coming back. I lost my daughter. They might get a chance to see and talk to their children, but we will never get that opportunity,” said Allen Burns, according to WSBTV.
