The man convicted of killing a teenage soccer star in New Jersey last year received a 15-year prison sentence on Wednesday after he agreed to a plea deal.
Before the Wednesday hearing, the mother of slain Moussa Fofana, 18, begged the judge not to agree to the plea deal because it would not do her son justice. She hoped the gunman, Yohan Hernandez, 21, would get a sentence of at least 30 years.
Despite her pleas, the judge approved the plea deal, and Hernandez pleaded guilty to several counts, including first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree aggravated assault, and unlawful weapons possession. Even though the victim’s family said the punishment for killing their son was too lenient, Hernandez will get only 15 years in prison.
In August 2021, police arrested Hernandez for the shooting of Moussa Fofana on June 6, 2021, which left another teenager wounded. Moussa Fofana was a junior on Columbia High School’s soccer team and dreamed of eventually playing professional soccer.
Hernandez shot Moussa just outside the Underhill Sports Complex in Maplewood, where Moussa regularly played soccer with his teammates and practiced the sport daily.
The details surrounding the motive for the shooting were unclear. Early reports indicated that Moussa Fofana was involved in an altercation with Hernandez’s brother who was harassing him and even possibly threatening the teen.
Hernandez then showed up and started shooting. He initially claimed he acted in self-defense, but he pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in September.
The victim’s mother, Hawa Fofana, begged Judge Ronald Wigler to deny the plea deal, saying if her son’s killer only got 15 years, she would have nightmares, adding that she could barely sleep since her son got killed.
Typically, family members do not speak at the plea hearing, as they only speak during sentencing, but Judge Wigler accepted a request from the family lawyer and allowed the family to speak at the hearing.
Moussa’s father, Yasshe Fofana, cried as he spoke to the judge, saying he needed justice for his son.
Last week, family and friends of the victim marched in protest of the plea agreement. Fred Profeta, former mayor of Maplewood, even sent a letter asking the prosecutors to revoke the plea deal, attaching a petition against the deal signed by more than 1,300 people.
The court allows a victim’s family members to be consulted about possible plea deals, but the family cannot block the deal.
Theodore Stephens, the acting prosecutor for Essex County, said his office informed the Fofana family about the plea deal through their attorneys.
During the hearing, Judge Wigler said that victims’ families are rarely happy with the number of years a defendant receives. He asked them not to attach the value of their son to the number of years Hernandez would serve in prison because that number would never bring their son back.
In court, Hernandez did not face or say anything to the victim’s family. The judge conceded that Hernandez’s behavior in the courtroom suggested he was not remorseful.
The plea agreement requires Hernandez to serve at least 85% of his sentence, which translates to about 13 years before he can be considered for parole.
Judge Wigler said that because Hernandez is not an American citizen, he will likely be deported after his release.
“It breaks my heart,” mother Hawa Fofana said.