John Sheeran, who pleaded guilty to attempting to drown a Black boy in Cape Cod, Massachussetts, avoided jail time during his sentencing hearing on Feb. 5, the New York Post reports.
Sheeran, 15, was sentenced to probation and approximately 700 hours of community service after being charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in December 2024. In addition, he will be required to attend educational classes online and write an apology letter to the victim.
The story made headlines in July 2023 when Sheeran, who is white, and another teen were accused of throwing rocks at the victim before the three minors went to the pond.
Wearing a lifejacket because he didn’t know how to swim, the victim was forced underwater by Sheeran. At the same time, he was called the n-word and referred to as “George Floyd,” the Minneapolis Black man who was killed in May 2020 after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
Barnstable District Court Judge Sylvia Gomes ruled that if Sheeran reoffends before Feb. 4, 2028, he will face jail time. “I cannot undo what happened, but hopefully, this resolution will bring the community closure and comfort,” Gomes said.
Sheeran’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, said the probation and community hours were a heavy punishment, and that the Black boy played the “race card.” Despite “question[ing] the justice system in this case signficiantly,” Reddington said he was “very pleased” with his client receiving probabtion.
The light sentencing took back advocates for cases deemed racially motivated.
“This perpetrator is getting off easy because of his white skin and privilege,” Tara Vargas Wallace, founder of Amplify POC Cape Cod, said, according to the Cape Cod Times
. “He gets to go home. Meanwhile, the victim in this case is scarred for life.”While Assistant District Attorney Eileen Moriarty and Reddington reviewed 15 recommendation letters written on Sheeran’s behalf, Martin Luther King Action Committee member Karen Boujoukos said more should be done to support the survivor.
“It’s like the pebble in the pond. Even though just one child experienced that hate, it affects so many more of us. There is a whole community of
people who are supporting that survivor,” Boujoukos said. “I believe in redemption. I hope the young man has learned, and has grown and continues to do so. My hope is that he shows genuine learning as to why what happened is completely unacceptable.”RELATED CONTENT: Retiree Killed In Ocho Rios Sparks Fear Among Repatriating Jamaicans