MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A table full of memories about Mehki Stevenson brings a mix of peace and pain for his grieving mother.
“I carry him in my necklaces on my heart,” said Sonya Stevenson. “I have two heart necklaces. On my arm, this says long live Khi.”
It’s been two and a half years since the 17-year-old was killed in his own Miami-Dade County bedroom.
Police said a semi-automatic weapon accidentally fired as a then 15-year old friend of Mehki Stevenson’s played with the gun in November of 2022.
The 15-year-old responsible was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Mehki Stevenson’s family waited for two and half years for justice to play out.
Last week at a hearing, a judge granted a downward departure for sentencing.
Records show the teenaged boy will serve two years of community control followed by eight years of probation.
“What message did she send to us?” asked Sonya Stevenson. “That because of your age, you don’t get held accountable for your actions? The accountability is optional because of your age? But what about Mekhi? What about Mehki, he didn’t get a second chance.”
Mehki Stevenson was shining star on his high school football team at North Miami Senior High, a teen with a promising future.
Those accolades are now part of a personal shrine to keep his memory alive as his family pushes for accountability in the case that claimed his life.
“These laws have to change because what is the message?” Sonya Stevenson said.