TRENTON, NJ- A monster who killed a nine-year-old New Jersey girl playing outside with her brother and friends pleaded guilty in a New Jersey courtroom last week to aggravated manslaughter in the shooting of Sequoya Bacon-Jones in 2022, Law & Crime reported.
Isiah M. Roberts, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, opened fire at a “family nemesis” in an apartment courtyard over a “stupid” Facebook beef, his lawyer said. The child, who was in fourth grade at the time, attempted to run for cover as Roberts opened fire in the courtyard where she was playing.
Last week, Roberts’ attorney explained the timeline of events that led up to the shooting, saying a so-called Facebook feud turned violent, NJ.com reported.
Attorney John W. Hartmann said Roberts was contacted by his mother and sister over the Facebook dispute and was told to “get down to Kingsbury,” the apartment complex where the child was playing, after a fight involving the sister broke out that stemmed from the Facebook feud.
When he arrived, Roberts was given the name of the so-called “family nemesis” who police allege was the intended victim.
Roberts got a 9mm handgun from an apartment and saw the intended target outside, whom he believed also had a gun, Hartmann said.
Roberts opened fire and struck Sequoya as she tried running for cover with her brother. Their mother was outside and attempted to provide aid to her daughter, along with other residents, before police arrived.
“He shot off two rounds first, everybody scattered, and then he shot off another four rounds and my daughter got hit,” Sequoya’s brother, Sacha Bacon-Jones, told Philadelphia CBS affiliate KYW in a 2022 interview.
“I run up and my baby is laying on the ground covered in blood,” Bacon-Jones recalled, referring to Sequoya as her “little girl” per the outlet.
“She’s not crying at all, she’s just like moaning and she’s reaching for me and I’m like I can’t believe what I”m looking at. IT’s not really happening, but it’s really happening.”
Hartmann said Roberts did not intend to harm the child, NJ.com reported. He admitted that Roberts did show reckless disregard for human life that warranted the manslaughter charge.
Meanwhile, Bacon-Jones called the dispute that led to the shooting “stupid Facebook stuff” while speaking with reporters at a press conference after Sequoya’s death.
“Now all I have are memories. I can’t make anymore,” Bacon-Jones said.
As a result of the plea deal, Roberts will spend between 15 and 18 years in prison, NJ.com reported. His sentencing is scheduled for June.
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