14-year-old sentenced in North Las Vegas killing

A teenager who fatally shot her best friend was sentenced Tuesday to the highest security youth camp offered to girls.

The girl pleaded guilty last week to involuntary manslaughter in the March 7 killing of Diego Delospalos, 15, inside the girl’s North Las Vegas home. She was 14 at the time of the shooting.

Both mothers sobbed during an hour-long sentencing hearing, attended by dozens of family members for both children, many of whom have observed every hearing since the girl was arrested.

Eight family members submitted victim statements for Family Court Judge Amy Mastin.

Prosecutor Summer Clarke read a statement from Diego’s mother, Teresa Gilbert, before the judge sentenced the girl to the Caliente Youth Center.

Gilbert wrote that the girl’s mother claimed her son died by suicide, but the girl’s family never told police what happened to the weapon. Gilbert did not see Diego until he was rolled out of the house in a body bag, she said.

The girl later admitted that she shot Diego, and police found mulitple guns in the home, but authorities never located the weapon used in the killing.

“Diego was full of life and dreams,” Gilbert wrote. “He was very loving and caring. He made us laugh when we were sad. Because of (the girl) and her family’s negligence, our lives will never be the same without him.”

As a practice, the Las Vegas Review-Journal does not name children suspected of crimes who are not charged as adults by the court. Prosecutors twice attempted to certify the girl for adult court on a murder charge, but Mastin denied both requests.

A graveyard birthday

Gilbert said that one day the girl’s sentence will end and she will return home to her family.

“My grief, my sorrow, my emptiness has no end date,” Gilbert wrote. “I have no day to look forward to where I can be reunited with my Diego. There is no set date and time when I will stop crying or when I will stop mourning.”

Her family gathered at Diego’s grave site on July 22 to commemorate his 16th birthday. She said she was still never told exactly what happened to her son.

As part of the sentencing, Mastin banned the girl from social media, weapons and state licenses, including a driver’s license, after she is paroled. She is expected to complete 200 hours of community service and graduate high school.

At the prosecutor’s request, the judge also ordered the girl to attend a Clark County coroner’s program and a victim impact panel. The programs are usually used for DUI sentencing, but Clarke said they could teach the girl about the consequences her actions can have on others.

The teenager had been seen in dozens of posts on social media holding various types of guns, and detectives found ammunition under her bed, Clarke said.

“This is someone who surrounds herself with firearms and has dangerously handled them multiple times, not just herself but with other people,” Clarke said Tuesday.

Clarke said the girl had no remorse, and cited her smile last week when she pleaded guilty. Defense attorney Ryan Helmick denied seeing the girl smiling, but Mastin cut off Helmick’s argument.

“The court did,” she said. “Absolutely, 100 percent. The victim impact statements referenced it. Don’t waste your time defending her. I was disgusted, my staff that was watching was disgusted.”

Helmick said the girl’s family loved Diego, and he always had a place at their dinner table. The girl was remorseful, he argued, and she pulled the trigger unintentionally.

“Nobody saw when she called me multiple times, crying and scared about what happened,” Helmick said. “Nobody saw when she couldn’t sleep for days in her cell. Nobody saw when her mom was fighting to get her a counselor because she was asking for help.”

Speaking by video from the Juvenile Detention Center, the girl apologized to Diego’s family and said she wanted to change her life.

“Being in this situation, I’ve learned this place is not a place you want to be,” she said. “I never want to put myself in a situation that can lead me back to a place like this. I hold myself accountable for my actions.”

Children sentenced to Caliente typically spend nine to 12 months in the facility. Mastin said while at the center, she wants the girl to write an essay detailing exactly what happened to Diego, for his mother to know the truth. A second essay ordered by the court will advise other children how to avoid ending up in her situation.

“If I got to create programs in this jurisdiction, and I don’t, I would make you go to every single high school and middle school in Las Vegas, in Clark County, and talk about what you did and how they should not do the same,” Mastin said.

In a softer tone, Mastin finished the hearing by speaking to Diego’s family.

“I’ve read your statements,” Mastin said. “I’m impacted by them. I’m impacted by the words read by Miss Clarke. Thank you, and I wish there was more that I could do.”

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.