Maryland Teen Sentenced to 80 Years for Killing Classmate in School Bathroom
A Maryland teenager has been sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, with all but 80 years suspended, for fatally shooting classmate Warren Grant inside a bathroom at Joppatowne High School in September 2024.
Because he was 16 at the time, state law did not allow life without parole, though he will not be eligible for parole until at least half the sentence is served.
A jury convicted the teen of first-degree murder and related charges in May. Prosecutors said he arrived at school with a loaded ghost gun intending to use it, and video showed him threatening to kill Grant four times.
Witnesses reported he pulled the gun from his backpack before shooting and then fled; the weapon was never recovered.
The teenager testified that the shooting was accidental, stemming from an argument about a girl. Prosecutors countered with evidence of his violent history in school, records showing repeated threats, attacks on peers, and continued threatening behavior even after conviction. A psychologist assessed him as an “extremely high risk for future violence.”
State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey said she hopes the sentence brings some closure for Grant’s family and reinforces that gun violence will not be tolerated in schools or the wider community.
Although sentenced as an adult, the teenager remains a child in conflict with the law. Under international child rights principles, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, he retains the right to dignity, a fair process, and the opportunity for rehabilitation, even while being held accountable for the offense.
