Teen smiles, laughs as he pleads guilty in 4 killings that happened when he was 14

Mikeem Thomas, believed to be the only juvenile in Hamilton County history to face murder charges in four separate killings, smiled at times and even laughed during his plea and sentencing Monday.

When the cousin of 19-year-old Terrance North, who Thomas fatally shot in 2021, called out Thomas for “smirking” and concluded her statement by saying, “(expletive) you,” the teen laughed to himself.

Thomas, 17, was sentenced Monday in Common Pleas Court to 31 to 36½ years in prison, a term that had been agreed upon as part of his plea deal with prosecutors. Judge Robert Goering imposed the sentence.

Thomas, who was prosecuted as an adult, pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter, three counts of felonious assault, two counts of robbery as well as gun charges.

Thomas was 14 when he was involved in the four killings, which happened between October 2020 and February 2021.

He likely will be in his 40s when he is released from prison – a fact that prosecutors, police detectives and the victims’ families are not happy about.

“Thirty-one years is not a number we like,” Assistant Prosecutor Linda Scott said. But Scott said the convictions and sentence will give the families closure and ensure that none of the families ever hear a not guilty verdict, which Scott said can happen when someone so young stands trial.

4 killings in 4 months

The first killing happened Oct. 25, 2020 during a robbery. Scott said the person killed, 19-year-old Devon Lipscomb, was Thomas’ accomplice in the robbery, which Thomas helped set up.

The target of the robbery shot Lipscomb after he walked up to the target’s car and pointed a gun at a woman in the passenger seat. Thomas and another man, Robert Allie, were charged with murder in Lipscomb's death. Allie, 23, pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years.

North was killed on Feb. 1, 2021. Thomas used Facebook to lure North and another man to a location in South Fairmount, Scott said, “under the guise of buying drugs” that night from the man. Scott said Thomas fired multiple shots into a vehicle, killing North. The other man was shot in the face but survived.

Thomas kept a photo of North’s funeral service information on his cellphone, prosecutors said, because they believe he was auditioning for more.

Prosecutor: 14-year-old hired for killing

Thomas was one of three people who Carl Godfrey hired to kill a man to whom Godfrey owed money. On Feb. 16, 2021, Thomas and two others, according to testimony at Godfrey's trial earlier this year, fired 21 shots into an SUV outside a Westwood apartment complex, wounding the intended target and killing 27-year-old Deontray Otis.

“He didn’t stop there,” Scott said Monday.

Two days later, she said, Thomas went with Godfrey to Millvale because they “wanted revenge.” Godfrey’s car had been shot up the previous day.

Scott said both Thomas and Godfrey opened fire in the street, killing an innocent bystander, 30-year-old Donnell Steele. Scott said Steele had walked outside to see what was happening and was shot in the eye.

North’s grandmother, Angela Smith, said it’s time to put down the guns. “There has to be something done,” Smith said. “These children are out there shooting one another.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mikeem Thomas smiles, laughs as he pleads in 4 killings