Sam Young, 16, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and criminal sexual conduct Wednesday morning in a Greenville courtroom.
The judge accepted a recommendation of 25 years in prison during the sentencing phase of the hearing. Young said very little during the hearing, his lawyer, however, said the teenager was sorry.
The judge called it "a tragic case."
The victim, Dymia Woody, 8, disappeared on June 30, 2008.
She was last seen playing with friends. Late that night her body was found dead and stuffed into a closet of an abandoned mobile home on Carly Drive.
Woody's family has said they feel betrayed by Young, who was considered a friend.
Greenville County Sheriff's Deputies said he lied about walking her home that night and even participated in looking for her when her parents knew she vanished.
Until 2009, the teenager's name had been withheld because he was 14 when he was arrested.
A judge decided Young would be tried as an adult in the case in 2009.
Nearly 40 members of Dymia Woody's family were present. A News Channel 7 reporter spoke to some family members. They said they were displeased with the length of the sentence for Young and felt it should be longer.
Dymia’s family was prepared for this ruling, but still very upset with the sentence. They don’t believe Young showed remorse or can be rehabilitated. They wanted life in prison.
Dymia’s mother sobbed through the hearing.
Because Young pleaded guilty to a violent crime, he will not have the option of parole. He must serve 85 percent of the sentence and could be held beyond the 25 years as a "sexual predator."
Watch News Channel 7 and wspa.com for updates.
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