WHITE SPRINGS, Fla. – The state attorney for Columbia County has decided not to charge the two sisters accused in the killing of their older brother as adults.
Columbia County deputies said 15-year-old Ariel Kornegay confessed to shooting and killing 16-year-old Damien Kornegay as he slept in their home last week while their parents were away on a truck-driving job.
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Ariel Kornegay and her 11-year-old sister walked about 4 miles from their home to White Springs after the shooting. After first claiming they had run away, Ariel broke down and confessed. Both girls were charged with second-degree murder.
Local 10 News sister station WJXT-TV learned Wednesday that Columbia County State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister has made the decision to prosecute the two girls as juveniles due to the extenuating circumstances of the case and the girls' background.
According to authorities, Misty "Ariel" Kornegay was kept locked in her bedroom for days at a time with only a blanket and a bucket to use as a toilet. That day when her brother fell asleep, she asked her 11-year-old sister to let her out. Investigators said she broke into her parents' locked bedroom, retrieved and loaded a handgun and shot Damien.
The Sheriff's Office said the younger sister assisted in the shooting, but "she didn't pull the trigger."
When the parents, Keith and Misty Kornegay, returned to town the next day, they were arrested on child neglect charges. They are still in jail.
The Kornegays' youngest child -- a 3-year-old girl who was in the home during the shooting -- is in state custody.
The Sheriff's Sheriff said they had been called to the home several times before last week, one of those times for an incident between Ariel and her brother.
Columbia County deputies said there was a history of sexual abuse in the Kornegay home. An uncle is serving a life sentence for sexual battery.
Siegmeister said all those factors went into his decision to not pursue adult charges against the two sisters, who would get much needed counseling and education in a juvenile facility.
"All of that's mitigation in their behalf," Siegmeister said. "It's not a direct defense to the crime they are charged with. It doesn't directly relate to why they killed, but it certainly you can't say that it had nothing to do with it."
Criminal defense attorney Joe Joyce is not affiliated with the case, but said that it's another major difference between prosecuting as a juvenile instead of an adult.
"They believe if they've gotten them early enough, they are able to correct some of the problems that led them to commit a crime in the first place," Joyce said. "Hopefully that child can be rehabilitated."