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Norris kin says drugs and guns are to blame
By Eiji Yama****a
Sentinel Reporter
HANFORD - Family members of Brittney Norris tried to paint a picture of the 14-year-old killer as a victim of drugs and guns, symbols of social illness.
Yet survivors of her victims blamed the teenager herself for the shooting deaths of Regina Norris and Lawrence Norris. The two were not related.
Despite a tearful apology by the youth, attired in a jail jumpsuit, and last-minute pleas by her kin for leniency, a Kings County judge on Monday sentenced Norris to a minimum of 32 years in prison as arranged by a plea bargain.
Norris pleaded guilty to first degree murder last month in the March 6 killing of her mother and her mother's boyfriend in their Lemoore apartment.
"This is such a tragedy," Carolyn Freeman, Norris' grandmother, said in her statement in court. "There is no winner. The Norrises lost their son. I lost my daughter. Now I'm losing my granddaughter."
Brittney Norris looked down and wept as those words were spoken.
"My granddaughter is also a victim - a victim of the broken system of society ... One day I'd like to stand with my granddaughter and rectify this wrong," Freeman said.
Family members of Lawrence Norris called for strict punishment of the teenager.
Holding back tears, Cory Norris, the 20-year-old son of Lawrence Norris, said, "I want to address the court that drugs didn't pull the trigger. The gun didn't shoot itself that day."
Deputy District Attorney Michelle Winspur called Norris "evil" and said her crime was premeditated.
"This girl is, for lack of a better word, evil," Winspur said. "She has impacted numerous people's lives, including her grandmother and Lawrence's family. This is a heinous, horrible crime and there's no excuse for it."
Superior Court Judge Louis Bissig acknowledged victims are on both sides of the case but said the crime committed must not be blamed on anything else but Norris herself.
"There was a suggestion that drugs and guns were to blame for the crime ... In the court's view, analyzing the tragedy from that perspective is a disservice to our concern," Bissig said. "Brittney Norris must bear the responsibility. Until she accepts her responsibility, the real healing process won't begin."
Norris faces 25 years to life in prison for the first degree murder counts and an additional 10 years for the firearm enhancement, although she is required to serve seven of the 10-year enhancement term.
Given good behavior, she will be eligible for parole when she is 46 years old.
Norris will serve her time in the California Youth Authority until she is old enough to be placed in a women's prison.
Brittney Norris' defense attorney, Gerald Schwab, said the teen must take responsibility, but he maintained that she was influenced by drug use at the time of the killings.
"The plain fact is a 14-year-old cheerleading, honor student won't just run off and kill people," Schwab said outside the court following the sentencing. "Brittney took responsibility by pleading guilty. She's been that way since the beginning of the case. She understands that she made a choice even though she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol."
Winspur acknowledged that methamphetamines and marijuana were found in Norris' system after the incident. But she disagreed with the defense's opinion.
"Everybody wanted a reason," Winspur said. "A 14-year-old did something horrible. The fact of the matter is she was just a bad girl."
Because of delinquent behavior, the 14-year-old was grounded the weekend before the killings, Winspur said.
Norris' age played a role in the sentence she received.
If she was 18, Norris would have faced a death penalty or life in prison at best, Winspur said.
A minimum 32 years in prison should be considered a "gift" to the youth, Winspur said.
"Because of the fact that she was so young, we had to give some consideration," Winspur said. "This way she has some hope. It also gives Brittney a reason to do something in prison. With a chance that she might be able to get out, she might actually make efforts to improve herself."
Following the sentencing, Lawrence Norris' brother, Lamont Harris of Los Angeles, said lives lost in the crime are irreplaceable.
"Thirty-five years may seem like a long time, but it's not," Harris said. "It's never going to make up for our loss."
(July 25, 2006)
By Eiji Yama****a
Sentinel Reporter
HANFORD - Family members of Brittney Norris tried to paint a picture of the 14-year-old killer as a victim of drugs and guns, symbols of social illness.
Yet survivors of her victims blamed the teenager herself for the shooting deaths of Regina Norris and Lawrence Norris. The two were not related.
Despite a tearful apology by the youth, attired in a jail jumpsuit, and last-minute pleas by her kin for leniency, a Kings County judge on Monday sentenced Norris to a minimum of 32 years in prison as arranged by a plea bargain.
Norris pleaded guilty to first degree murder last month in the March 6 killing of her mother and her mother's boyfriend in their Lemoore apartment.
"This is such a tragedy," Carolyn Freeman, Norris' grandmother, said in her statement in court. "There is no winner. The Norrises lost their son. I lost my daughter. Now I'm losing my granddaughter."
Brittney Norris looked down and wept as those words were spoken.
"My granddaughter is also a victim - a victim of the broken system of society ... One day I'd like to stand with my granddaughter and rectify this wrong," Freeman said.
Family members of Lawrence Norris called for strict punishment of the teenager.
Holding back tears, Cory Norris, the 20-year-old son of Lawrence Norris, said, "I want to address the court that drugs didn't pull the trigger. The gun didn't shoot itself that day."
Deputy District Attorney Michelle Winspur called Norris "evil" and said her crime was premeditated.
"This girl is, for lack of a better word, evil," Winspur said. "She has impacted numerous people's lives, including her grandmother and Lawrence's family. This is a heinous, horrible crime and there's no excuse for it."
Superior Court Judge Louis Bissig acknowledged victims are on both sides of the case but said the crime committed must not be blamed on anything else but Norris herself.
"There was a suggestion that drugs and guns were to blame for the crime ... In the court's view, analyzing the tragedy from that perspective is a disservice to our concern," Bissig said. "Brittney Norris must bear the responsibility. Until she accepts her responsibility, the real healing process won't begin."
Norris faces 25 years to life in prison for the first degree murder counts and an additional 10 years for the firearm enhancement, although she is required to serve seven of the 10-year enhancement term.
Given good behavior, she will be eligible for parole when she is 46 years old.
Norris will serve her time in the California Youth Authority until she is old enough to be placed in a women's prison.
Brittney Norris' defense attorney, Gerald Schwab, said the teen must take responsibility, but he maintained that she was influenced by drug use at the time of the killings.
"The plain fact is a 14-year-old cheerleading, honor student won't just run off and kill people," Schwab said outside the court following the sentencing. "Brittney took responsibility by pleading guilty. She's been that way since the beginning of the case. She understands that she made a choice even though she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol."
Winspur acknowledged that methamphetamines and marijuana were found in Norris' system after the incident. But she disagreed with the defense's opinion.
"Everybody wanted a reason," Winspur said. "A 14-year-old did something horrible. The fact of the matter is she was just a bad girl."
Because of delinquent behavior, the 14-year-old was grounded the weekend before the killings, Winspur said.
Norris' age played a role in the sentence she received.
If she was 18, Norris would have faced a death penalty or life in prison at best, Winspur said.
A minimum 32 years in prison should be considered a "gift" to the youth, Winspur said.
"Because of the fact that she was so young, we had to give some consideration," Winspur said. "This way she has some hope. It also gives Brittney a reason to do something in prison. With a chance that she might be able to get out, she might actually make efforts to improve herself."
Following the sentencing, Lawrence Norris' brother, Lamont Harris of Los Angeles, said lives lost in the crime are irreplaceable.
"Thirty-five years may seem like a long time, but it's not," Harris said. "It's never going to make up for our loss."
(July 25, 2006)
