Lake Worth teen who killed friend in accidental shooting sentenced to 10 years in prison

Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
1

Editor's note: After Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd appeared to accept the teen's plea deal, she convened a lengthy sidebar not viewable to The Palm Beach Post and rejected the agreement. Read the updated story here.

-

WEST PALM BEACH — The gun passed from hand to hand in the back of a silver Toyota Carola on March 7, 2021. It didn't look real, a teen said. His friend, a 16-year-old in the seat beside him, took it.

"You want me to show you it's real?" he asked, according to court records.

Diego Pedro Jose fired the revolver, striking the head of 16-year-old Esteban Gonzalez, who slumped forward in the driver's seat and crashed the car at Lake Avenue and South E Street. Gonzalez died at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach three days later.

For subscribers: Tronneal Mangum, convicted of classmate's murder at age 15, wins release from state prison

For subscribers: Mom who left baby in dumpster near Boca Raton pleads guilty to attempted murder, heads to prison

For subscribers: Jury rejects Acreage families' claim that Pratt & Whitney caused cancer cluster among children

Jose, 18, of Lake Worth Beach, pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm Thursday morning before Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd. She accepted the plea and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Gonzalez's mother watched from the back of the courtroom, too emotional to speak. She believes the shooting was premeditated, said Jose's defense attorney, Kristi Thomaston, but there's enough evidence to indicate that it was accidental.

Though manslaughter with a firearm is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, Jose's age and minimal criminal history culminated in a shorter sentence.

Click here to view the homicides tracker in a larger window »

"I'm sure this is a very sad day for both of your families," Shepherd told Jose, who was charged as an adult at the time of the shooting. "But you took someone's life, and you're going to prison for 10 years. In my mind, perhaps not sufficient."

Jose nodded.

Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Accidental shooting ends in manslaughter conviction for South Florida teen