DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The mothers of the two teens killed in the Douglasville Sweet 16 shooting in March 2023 spoke at the sentencing on Thursday for three men convicted in the case.
On the night of March 4, 2023, Samuel Moon, 15, and Aj'anaye Hill, 14, were killed, and eight others were hurt after the shooting at a house party on Sitka Drive and Talkeetna Road.
More than 100 teenagers were attending the party when gunfire erupted about 50 yards away in the street of the cul-de-sac. Investigators have previously said Hill and Samuel Moon were not the intended targets.
RELATED: Family remembers 15-year-old boy shot, killed at Douglasville house party as 'life of their home'
During the sentencing on Thursday, Samuel's mom, Beverly LaFleur, and Aj'anaye Hill's mom, Chanell White, emotionally spoke about how hard the past year has been for their families.
"I lost a piece of my heart and soul when you chose to grab a gun and shoot my son, Samuel and Aj'anaye and eight other children," LaFleur said. "His siblings lost their sweet baby brother, his classmates, as you heard, lost a loving friend, his grandparents lost their youngest grandson when you all chose to grab a gun and shoot it at a kid's party."
LaFleur then held a jar of 20 gems and counted each gem-- one for each minute, signifying Samuel fighting for his life for 20 minutes.
"You took innocent children's lives," LaFleur added, as she addressed the three men who were sentenced. "Vengeance is God's. Just know that, and he doesn't sleep."
White also spoke about Aj'anaye's dreams in life and the impact her death has had on their family.
"Aj'anaye was a twin, a sister, a friend, and a cousin... 'Do y'all even understand what y'all have done to her twin brother or to her other siblings?' They're broken. She was everything to them," White said. "Aj'anaye had big dreams. She was gonna be an attorney... but now she'll never get that chance. All those dreams are gone because y'all decided to act reckless and took her life, her future and with it all-- y'all shattered mine."
RELATED: 'She had so much life ahead of her': Mother of 14-year-old shot, killed at Douglasville house party
You can watch LaFleur and White speak at the sentencing in the video below. You can also find details on the judge's full sentencing online here.
11Alive's More Than a Number series seeks to humanize crime coverage by "giving a face to the victim and a voice to the family." If you would like to honor a loved one you lost, you can use the form below or email us at MoreThanANumber@11alive.com to tell us about them, and we will add them to our memorial page.
If you need help or support in your time of loss, please visit our resource guide. For more details on this project, please visit 11alive.com/MoreThanANumber.