Girl, 17, takes plea bargain in killing

Sobbing uncontrollably, 17-year-old Amalia Boyer admitted in court that she was responsible for the shooting death of her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend on June 28.

Boyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in a deal that will require her to spend 20 years in prison before she will be eligible for parole.

During the brief hearing in District Judge Donald Mosley's courtroom, Boyer admitted she used a gun to shoot 18-year-old Riki Jemison in the home at 4537 E. Cool Valley Drive, near Bonanza Road and Lamb Boulevard.

Boyer originally was charged with first-degree murder and scheduled to stand trial May 17, but she chose instead to accept the plea bargain and avoid the possibility of a life prison sentence, Deputy Special Public Defender Kristina Wildeveld said.

Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane alleged that Boyer, then 16, had called the home shortly before the incident to make sure Jemison was there and then went to the location with a gun.

At a court hearing in August, witnesses testified that Boyer walked into the home without saying a word and fired a bullet into Jemison's head. Two more shots were fired into the victim as she lay mortally wounded on the floor.

Boyer waited outside the home until police arrived.

Kane said the gun belonged to Boyer's father. In court Wednesday, Boyer was unable to answer Mosley's questions about what kind of a gun it was or even recall the caliber.

The boyfriend suffered abrasions when he jumped through a window as the shooting began, authorities said.

Sentencing for Boyer is set for June 15.

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