The End of Innocence

It pains me to know how good of a man I took away from you all. The worst part is how permanent the consequences of my stupid choices are. Choices I can never explain or take back. Those choices that night will haunt me for the rest of my life, as I know they will for so many others. Do you remember when you were a teenager? Days when you had high hopes for what your future looked like? When your world was filled with profound mystery and opportunity? As time goes on and we age, this outlook drifts further and further away. Reality hits with the awareness that oftentimes life doesn't pan out exactly the way we imagined it might. We don't always get accepted to our dream school or start careers at our desired jobs. In turn, we become more realistic as we age, setting smaller and perhaps more achievable goals. But there's nothing wrong with this transition In fact, it's just a part of growing up For most of us, we are lucky that this reality slowly seeps in over time with age and experience But for others, the unexpected twists and turns of life can come dramatically and swiftly Forcing life's most unforgiving lessons to occur early on for with every action we take as teens whether on purpose or by accident these decisions carry real life repercussions and sometimes those come in the form of horrible tragedies On the evening of April 16, 2024, a mother and her adult son noticed a group of teenagers parked outside of an abandoned home in Tucson, Arizona. The two knew this house well, because the abandoned residence was frequented by trespassers, oftentimes teenagers looking for a spot to throw a party. Drug use and property damage to the home was a frequent issue, and this had become quite a nuisance for neighbors in recent times. The woman, deciding that she'd finally had enough of the antics, began filming the teenagers, asking them on camera why they had parked on the property. Do you think you'd walk away if you were really cleaning up? What? Your tools? What does that prove? You got a broom? Okay, and why would you be here? Do you own this property? Why are you hiding? Why would you hide? Maybe we'd be able to take it somewhere else. Yeah, if you guys don't get the hell off this property right now, I'm calling the police immediately. In the video, at least eight teens were captured milling about awkwardly as the woman confronted them. The kids tried to argue that they were hired to clean up the home, with one even pulling out a small broom and dustpan out of a nearby vehicle. But the woman, like many of her other neighbors, had a different idea as to why a group of teenagers and pulled up to the abandoned home filled with graffiti and broken windows. And that reason was not for any cleanup job. The woman filming then turned her phone towards a young girl who stood facing away from the camera further on down the driveway. This teen claimed she was calling her boss to sort out the issue. You have anything to say? Your boss. Who's your boss? Okay, I'm sorry. Why are you guys walking away? Alright, that's good. The girl looked young, maybe in her late teens, wearing goth-style clothing with jet-black dyed hair. She was very clearly trying to get the woman off her case by turning her back to the camera, had now buried in her own phone to avoid making eye contact. As for the other teens, who were all standing closer to the residence, they chose to avoid the awkwardness of the whole scenario by walking inside the home. The Reddit user claimed that the woman called the police after leaving the property, but we weren't able to independently verify if any police intervention happened, or if 911 was even dialed. But kids will be kids after all, and teens are always going to be out on the hunt for places to drink and hang out, as so happened on this night. The abandoned home on North Indian House Road was soon filled with around 20 teens. They made a bonfire in the yard that lit up the dark desert as sunset turned to nightfall. Around this time, 18-year-old Josiah Walker arrived at the party with a friend. This friend had brought along his girlfriend too, and, uh, oh yeah, his brand new shotgun. Now, let's be honest here for a second. When you're a kid, you don't always think all that much about the repercussions of what you're doing. It's easier to act before you think things through when your frontal lobe isn't yet fully developed. And when you mix in alcohol, poor choices are all the more likely to happen. Such was the case with Josiah, who had been drinking and was eager to see his friend's new shotgun, which he has to hold while his buddy walked off to go to the bathroom. Witnesses at the party would later recollect that Josiah was not handling the weapon with care, with one witness stating that Josiah had actually pointed the gun at multiple people and at one point had even pumped it. Josiah certainly seemed to feel invincible in that moment as if nothing bad could happen but something terrible did. You see, it was around 2 o'clock in the morning when the party took a turn for the worse when all of a sudden, Josiah fired the shotgun. The silence of the night was shattered, first by the sound of the gunshot and then by a blood-curdling scream, alerting many of the neighbors and surrounding homes that something awful had just happened. And it had. Josiah's single shot had hit 20-year-old Marissa Anderson, another attendee at the party. Marissa was now laying on the ground with blood pooling around her head. Josiah sat there with his hands on his own head in disbelief. He had just shot someone. There were no arguments, no tension between the two before. In fact, Marissa and Josiah were actually friends. Upon hearing the gunshot, Josiah's friend ran back to the fire pit and grabbed the weapon. He ejected the spent casing and left immediately after with his girlfriend in tow. Josiah, too, fled the scene, as did most of the other attendees. Now, the details here are a bit he said, she said, and all occurred in the same Reddit thread of that video. But someone claiming to be Marissa's partner was also active in the comments on the post, and he claimed that he dialed 911 to report the shooting and was the only one who remained at the scene of the crime. The quiet little street was soon illuminated by red and blue lights from responding police officers, as well as helicopters overhead. I was, you know, flat out asleep and I woke up to the helicopters and I could see there was actually like the lights coming in through the window and so I was of course nervous that maybe they were looking for somebody in my yard. The report from a concerned neighbor hours earlier about the group of trespassing teens could have effectively broken up the party before it even began. But unfortunately, this was the first time that police were on scene at the property that night. It turned out that the victim, Marissa, was the same girl captured in the video who was pretending to call her boss about cleaning up the abandoned home. That recording was the last remaining footage of Marissa alive before she was shot to death by her friend Josiah. After initially fleeing, Josiah's friends and his girlfriend returned to the home, knowing that they must give accounts to police of what had transpired. According to the shotgun's owner, he had only been gone for a few seconds when Josiah fired the weapon. He told police that it was poor judgment on his part for giving his friend the gun, and confirmed that he hadn't thought that Josiah would actually shoot it. As for where Josiah fled to, well, that wasn't initially known. Unbeknownst to authorities, Josiah sped over to his friend's house, where he barged into the residence before confessing to everything. Josiah was obviously in shock and even told one of the friends that he needed to flee the country to avoid getting arrested for murder but police eventually traced him down and Josiah was soon taken into custody as the sun rose signifying the start of a new day media swarmed the abandoned home to report on the shooting that had transpired there overnight and the subsequent arrest of a teenage suspect. An 18-year-old man is now in Pima County Jail accused of killing 20-year-old Marissa Anderson. An interim complaint submitted to Tucson police says a witness allegedly brought the shotgun which was used to kill her. While in custody, Josiah called his girlfriend. He lied to her, saying that Marissa had been shot before he showed up and that he went over to the property to help out. But the news was already circulating of what had actually happened, and someone had now posted to Reddit that video of the woman confronting the teenagers from earlier that day. The comment section of that post was blowing up, and Internet Sleuths quickly found the social media pages of Marissa, as well as her partner. It's here that strangers comb through the young man's Instagram, only to discover photos of him also posing with guns. This made posters begin to point fingers at Marissa's partner, saying that he must be the person who was responsible for the shooting. This thread was posted before the news had even identified the shooter, so the public had no idea who was actually responsible for Marissa's death. It was only a matter of time before someone claiming to be Marissa's partner also posted to that thread, giving their account of the events. Now, again, we should clarify that much of the information presented in the Reddit thread couldn't be independently verified, so please take the following accounts with a grain of salt. The woman hiding in the video was my girlfriend, Marissa Jones, who was the fatal victim of the shooting. This was nobody's fault besides Josiah Walker, who was since arrested, and his friend, who gave him the gun. I was the only one who stayed to call 911 and flag down police, while everyone else fled for their safety. I had to see the aftermath of an irresponsible drunk teen who ruthlessly took her life. Marissa was full of spirit and loved to explore and was having the best night of her life Please keep hateful comments to yourself as she didn deserve this Marissa and her partner had been high school sweethearts who were married for two years before her death. She was a young woman in the early stages of adulthood, enjoying her newfound independence. But this didn't stop certain individuals in the Reddit thread from painting Marissa as just another teenage delinquent who put herself in a bad situation. Addressing the victim blaming in the thread, Marissa's alleged partner wrote, Watch your mouth. The only bad influence here was Josiah. We had been warned about him since the day we met him. Me and Marissa were the it couple and she was respected and loved by everyone around her. and everyone can tell you how sweet and kind and inviting she was. Marissa never did any drugs besides the occasional drink or two and just always wanted to have fun. But this wasn't the only comment in the thread from someone who claimed to have known the victim. Yet another individual posted their account of the night, giving further clarity as to what occurred right before and leading up to the shooting. No, he was joking about playing Russian roulette. She jokingly agreed. He had already tested the gun and shot toward the air and it didn't go off. After that, the guy who owned the gun yelled, Be careful, bro, that shit is loaded. Me and my friends were five feet away in a sitting area. We started saying it over and over to him. He ignored us, but I kept saying it was loaded. She went to sit next to him, then for some reason she gets back up and was standing over him. No words were spoken and he pointed the gun up to her neck and shot instantly with no hesitation. Murdered her. Regardless of the judgments people formed early on about Josiah and Marissa, multiple witness accounts described the incident as completely unintentional. Nothing more than a terrible accident. What began as reckless behavior under the influence around a campfire ended in a fatal outcome that could never be undone. Alright, I know investing can be confusing and intimidating. For the longest time, I thought you had to make a ton of money to invest. That's why I'm so happy today's episode is sponsored by Acorns. 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And when you're ready to launch, use offer code choir to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com slash choir. Josiah Walker was initially charged with one count of manslaughter, a Class 4 felony in Pima County, and was due back in court in September of 2025. In the week following the shooting, the abandoned home on North Indian House Road was fenced off, with a new for-sale sign posted on the property. While this was the final nail in the proverbial coffin for trespassing on the property, there was still no closure for Marissa's family. Our children were raised as sisters, not cousins, because we're really close-knit family. And so they're screaming at the top of their lungs. And so I couldn't understand what they were saying at first, and they kept saying, she's dead, she's dead. And I'm like, who? And they're like, Marissa. And I'm like, no, not Marissa. If it was going to be anybody, it wasn't Marissa. They still couldn't believe that, due to a single act of irresponsibility, their Marissa was gone forever. Their grief was only matched by their frustration that Josiah was facing a manslaughter charge and not a charge for homicide. They were also upset by the fact that the owner of the weapon wasn't facing any charges at all himself. If he would not have brought in a loaded gun, this would have never happened. We could be looking at a homicide. We could be looking at charges for the gun owner. While Tucson locals grieved Marissa's death, her loved ones had to face the reality of the unbelievable financial strain associated with their unexpected loss. To pay for Marissa's funeral, her loved ones had to work double time. What they couldn't cover associated with the cost, well, they hoped that a GoFundMe campaign and local charities could make up the difference. Our sister, the victim's mother, she's a school aide. She doesn't make a lot of money. Her husband's on disability. So they clearly were not expecting this. So they don't have the savings to bury somebody around $14,000 is what we have to come up with in like two weeks because unfortunately, you do have a time. Marissa's loved ones didn't want her painted as just a troublemaking young woman. This is, unfortunately, a struggle that many victims' families have to deal with. Trespassing and partying is something that, frankly, a lot of young adults do. And when we're put in an uncomfortable situation, such as when someone is pointing a gun at our head, we may freeze up and feel far too nervous to correct the situation. Josiah Walker accepted a plea deal in September of 2025. As part of the deal, he pled guilty to an amended charge of negligent homicide, a Class 4 felony, which ultimately carries an even lower sentence than manslaughter. He received a sentence of six years, with a credit for 511 days already served in jail. He will likely be released in his mid-twenties. How Josiah will spend the rest of his life on the outside after he's released, though, Only time will tell. Perhaps one of the more bizarre aspects of this case was that there was nothing illegal about the gun that Josiah's friend and brought in that Josiah handled. Gun laws in the United States permit anyone aged 18 years or older to legally purchase a shotgun or a rifle. Yes, you can even buy one of these two types of guns before you're permitted to drink alcohol legally. And in the vast majority of states, training for this firearm isn't even required. Now, there's obviously nothing wrong with owning a gun. But it is worth considering that, in the same way we've talked about how impulsive and unpredictable teens can be, there may well be many 18-year-olds who are not capable of safely handling a deadly weapon, especially when alcohol gets into the mix. One, always assume that every firearm is loaded. Two, don't point that firearm at anything unless you intend to shoot. Three, be aware of your target and what's beyond your target. Four, don't put your finger on the trigger until you're on target and ready to shoot. Now, it probably goes without saying, but Marissa's death due to Josiah's carelessness is not an unfamiliar story. In fact, a strikingly similar case would take place just one year after Marissa's death, and this one involved the use of a rifle. On May 9th of 2025, 20-year-old Weston Muhlenberg was celebrating the start of a new chapter in his life in Talmadge Township, Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids. You see, in just one week, Weston was due to be married. To celebrate, he was having a bachelor party at his barn located at the back of his property. Weston still needed to fix up his home for the wedding ceremony so he left it closed off to the party goers with everyone celebrating outside in the barn. But as the night and celebration went on and after some heavy drinking, an inebriated Weston brought two of his friends into the house at around 11 p.m. Once inside, Weston brought his friends up to his bedroom, which was located on the second floor of the home. For whatever reason, Weston pulled out his rifle, and one of his friends loaded the weapon. When Weston had the rifle back in his hands, he fired not one, not two, but seven separate rounds into the floor of his bedroom. There was one major problem with this, though, separate from the fact that Weston had just destroyed his floor. While he had assumed that no one else was in the residence, that, unfortunately, wasn't the case. Weston's friend, 19-year-old Connor Latterman, was actually standing just below the young man on the first floor. It all happened during a house party with a group of friends. 10 to 20 people inside last Friday night. Around 11 o'clock, deputies say a 20-year-old in an upstairs bedroom took his loaded gun and fired multiple rounds at the floor. Downstairs was 19-year-old Connor Latterman, and a bullet went through the ceiling and struck him in the head. The police were called to the scene and quickly brought Connor to a nearby hospital to treat his wounds, but it was already too late. He was already dead from that single bullet that Weston had mistakenly shot into his head Now it should be noted that the area where the shooting occurred was not a place with regular occasions of gun violence It was a neighborhood described by many residents as, quote, quiet, so the events that night shocked the locals. The fact of the matter is that violence can happen anywhere at any time, from a sleepy township in Michigan to an abandoned home in Tucson. And as we all know by now, tragedy can and sometimes does strike in unlikely places. Captain Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department says while the gun wasn't intentionally fired at Latterman, the gun was intentionally fired. He says when a gun is fired, it opens up the possibility for something tragic to happen. Not only did Weston fire his rifle, but he chose to shoot seven total rounds into the floor, something that the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office felt needed to be acknowledged. To pull the trigger seven separate times in close quarters with friends nearby is already dangerous. But to shoot through the floor, even if you don't think somebody else is downstairs, is beyond risky. It's careless and reckless. If no one else was in the home, this could have just been a crazy story that Weston would go on to tell his friends years later. A story about the crazy bachelor party he had leading up to his wedding. But instead, it was a horror story about how he accidentally shot and killed one of his own friends at that party. In response to the shooting, the Ottawa County Sheriff stated the following. If you have firearms that are out, lock them away. separate them from the ammunition. Gun safes, trigger guards, trigger locks. All those things can be important to make sure nothing tragic happens. A brief investigation ensued over the next month with Weston's full cooperation. He officially turned himself into police on June 5th, around one month after the shooting. The 20-year-old who was now facing a charge for the death was cooperating with the department and turned himself in this morning to authorities. Just like his friend Weston, 19-year-old Connor Latterman was at the start of his own life and had big plans for his future. He was the youngest of five siblings and graduated from Covenant Christian High School two years earlier and was then enrolled at Grand Valley State University as an engineering student. Just days before his death, Connor had picked out a ring with his girlfriend and was planning to propose to her. Perhaps this decision was inspired by Weston's upcoming marriage. After all, the two had known each other for years. It was never established why Connor was in the home while Weston and his two friends were upstairs. Perhaps he had just seen his friends leave the party inside of that barn and decided to follow them out of curiosity. But Weston was now in custody, and soon he was charged with discharging a firearm in a building causing death. In the state of Michigan, it's punishable with a sentence of up to life in prison. You must also remember here that Weston fired a total of seven rounds, not one. So there's also still the distinct possibility that he may actually incur seven separate felonies for his actions that night. The facts of the case stood that while Connor's death was entirely accidental, as was supported by crime scene evidence and later autopsy findings, Weston's carelessness killed one individual that night. It also put his other friends in the room in extreme danger, as they would later report that both of them feared the bullets could ricochet and hit them as Weston fired. Clearly, there was no peer pressure for Weston's destructive actions that night, nor anyone cheering him on as he continued shooting his weapon through the floor. Weston Muhlenberg was subsequently held on a $50,000 bond, and on September 29th of 2025, he pleaded guilty to his charge. He would then go on to face a judge in October for sentencing. This episode is proudly sponsored by Hero Bread. Alright, look, the days are finally getting a bit longer and warmer, but the reality is we've been holed up here in west central Wisconsin for months. And if we love anything during those months, it's our sandwiches and soup. 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They also do small batch drops of indulgent favorites, like the popular 2-gram Net Carb Hero Croissant and 5-gram Net Carb Hero Noodles. So if you're like me, you're ready to make a change to get healthier, but you can't quite give up the breads. Hero Bread is offering 10% off your first order. Go to hero.co and use code CHOIR at checkout. That's choir at h-e-r-o dot c-o. This episode is proudly sponsored by Built. You know, it's 2026, and if you're still paying rent without Bilt, it's time for a change. Bilt is the loyalty program for renters that rewards you for your biggest monthly expense, rent. With Bilt, every rent payment earns you points that can be used toward flights, hotels, lift rides, Amazon.com purchases, and so much more. But here's something I'm super excited about. Starting in February, Bilt members can now earn points on mortgage payments for the first time. 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He frequently picked his skin and rubbed his hands nervously together, a potential giveaway to his crumbling mental state. No longer was Weston thinking about school or getting married. Instead, he was now bracing for a potential life sentence per Michigan state law, regardless of if the death he caused was an accident or not. At sentencing, Weston's defense attorney argued that the seven gunshots should only count for one felony as he fired them off in such quick succession. He was clearly remorseful and this wasn't something done with any intent to harm. But even still, his actions did cause irrevocable harm. As a result, the judge upheld seven separate felony charges for each of the shots Weston fired that night. As the brief sentencing hearing unfolded, Conner's loved ones took the stands to give their victim impact statements. In most homicide cases, it can take a year, if not multiple years, until a trial begins. But the time between Conner's murder and Weston's sentencing hearing was short. just five months to be exact. With such limited time in between, it was abundantly clear that Connor's family was still knee-deep in grief. But they still made the courageous decision to stand at the podium regardless and express who Connor was to them, fighting back tears throughout all of it. My name is Steve Lauderman. I'm Connor's father. Thank you, Your Honor, for the opportunity to address the court this morning. We've all been affected in many ways by the events of May 9. For us, Latterman family, the news we received that night has forever changed our lives and changed who we are. Initially, we thought that we would not make a public statement, but as a family we discussed it and decided that it was important to take this last opportunity to publicly talk about and honor Connor and to share how his death has impacted all our lives. My wife Marie and I have been married for 31 years and God has blessed us with five children of whom Connor was the youngest. He left behind two married sisters, Davinia and Kristen, a married brother, Brett, and a single sister, Marielle, who still lives at home with him and us. He was a cherished brother-in-law to Joel, Nate, and Sidney, and a favorite uncle to his young niece, Vivi, and two nephews, Asa and Auden. All of our children admit that Connor was their favorite sibling. this is not something we are saying just because he's gone. He was everyone's favorite. Connor's father told the court how Connor was someone who always managed to make everyone laugh. A true goofball who brought joy into any room that he entered. Connor was their baby boy, and he was also a young man who was ready to get married and move out of the family home. At 19 years old, Connor was at such a pivotal point in life. He was old enough that we could see the man he was becoming. And we can easily picture what his future would have been like if he was still here. We will never see him graduate from Grand Valley State and become an engineer. We will never hear about his proposal to his dear girlfriend, Ray. or see her wearing the ring he had picked out only a few days before his death. We will never see him marry Ray and become a husband. We will never see him have children or be the loving, godly father we trust that he would have been. Family gatherings are no longer the boisterous and happy get-togethers they used to be, but instead are painful reminders of what is missing. Our family is shattered. We can't go on our favorite camping trip that we would go on every year. We haven't been able to play cards or board games or pickleball together. These changes are because of the memories they hold of Connor, and it just doesn't feel right without him. As one of his sisters recently said, Nothing I ever do will be 100% joyful. There will always be a missing piece. Connor's family couldn't help but wonder what his final moments were like. They didn't know how long it was until police were called to the scene, or if Connor's death had been instant or prolonged These are the types of thoughts that we never want to think about but when a loved one is taken away from us one can help but wonder how much potential suffering they had to endure Upon reflecting on this point, Connor's father then turned to Weston, who sat just behind him. We hope that you, Weston, can understand the gravity of what you did. This wasn't an accident. It involved many deliberate, foolish decisions and actions which didn't just take Connor from us, but took the life we all had with him and changed us all until the end of our lives. We desire to forgive you, and we will continually bring this to the Lord for his help, as our forgiveness of you is limited by our imperfect human natures. Therefore, it will be an ongoing decision that we will have to repeat often, and also for the rest of our lives. I don't think I will ever be able to forget what you have done. I don't think there will ever be a time when I see you and I won't have a flashback of my son's lifeless body in a hospital emergency room, surrounded by doctors and nurses, desperately trying to save his life. But I continually pray that I can look upon you as God does with our sin covered over, washed in the blood of Christ. Connor's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancé spoke after his father. She vocalized her sorrow that she would never be able to begin her new life with a man she had loved for three years, and went on to describe the unbearable loneliness she now felt in Connor's absence. A month before Connor was killed, me and him were driving down the street where this all happened. He looked at me and said, Ray, I hope that I die first because I would not be able to live without you. I looked at him a lot and said, oh, Connor, don't worry about that. We have at least 50 years. There's a lot that we have to do first. A month later, I received the call that he had been shot. Weston's defense attorney spoke of how Weston's guilt for killing Connor was only magnified by the complicated shock waves it made in their small community afterwards. The church that Weston was a part of was very vocally supportive of him, standing behind him with the understanding that the shooting was an accident. But the church failed to pay a similar amount of attention to Connor's family. Weston himself wanted this to be rectified during the sentencing hearing. with regards, one of the letters that struck and Weston had asked me to brought up is that I think there was a letter that maybe that the Lattermans had felt abandoned at some point by the church because there was a rallying around Weston and maybe not giving the proper care to the Latterman family. And I can tell you that that was something that Weston, when he read that letter, crushed him. And it was ironic because during various conversations that we would have and we would talk about the church and the elders. And his, again, number one concern is who is, are the Lattermans okay? Is someone looking out for the Latterman family? So I can assure you that this is a young man who is not somebody who society needs to be protected from. He's not somebody who is going to ever re-offend. He is not somebody that anybody needs to be protected from. He is a good, godly, loving, caring young man who is wracked with guilt because of what he did to his friend Connor. And he has never called it an accident. He understands the difference between an accident and doing something intentionally that has an unintentional consequence. And you hear, I have clients all the time say it was an accident. I've never heard him use the word accident. He's never used that word. It was then time for Weston to address the judge and give his final words before he learned his fate. I want to use this opportunity to apologize in person to those whom I've hurt. and realize that I can never apologize to everyone who was touched through Connor's death. I have sinned against you all. I have also sinned against Connor. Someone who has only been good to me. Someone who I benefited from. Someone who only gave in life. Someone who I appreciated, enjoyed, and respected. That someone who gave so much to me, I returned only evil to in his last day. It pains me to know how good of a man I took away from you all. The worst part is how permanent the consequences of my stupid choices are. Choices I can never explain or take back. Those choices that night will haunt me for the rest of my life as I know they will for so many others. I can say I'm sorry and apologize as many times as I want. But without actions, my words are useless. Sorry has to mean something. It has to mean something to everyone here and everyone who I've hurt. That something might be different for each person and that something might change as no hurt is discovered. I believe today that something is to humbly accept the punishment from the state for the numerous laws that have broken. Sorry also has to mean something to myself. I promise you my life will change with the memory of Connor. I promise you I will lead a sober life physically and an ever-increasingly sober life spiritually. Weston was ready to set his life straight after seeing the devastating consequences of his drunken actions. But now he was at the mercy of the judge, who would go on to render his final sentence. The discharge of a fireman at a building, typically we see that in gang type of activities where some nefarious individuals are trying to send a message to an opposing group and they fire rounds into a home sometimes they hit people sometimes they don't obviously that's not the case here this is far from that so it's in a gang situation there is an intent to either inflict harm or to send a message there was no intended consequence here certainly there was an act but there was no intended consequence here obviously the result was catastrophic the guidelines do complicate contemplate that you do not have a criminal history that's your as far as the prior record variables go that is a zero so those are contemplated as far as the need for rehabilitation it probably isn't any I don't think you pose a risk to the public I don't think anybody here believes that you pose a the risk to the public, as eloquent said by your attorney. So as far as we need to lock somebody up for a lengthy period of time because they pose a risk, that's not going to factor into this scenario because you do not pose a risk of harm. Guidelines do not factor into youth, and sometimes youth make unwise decisions. By the same token, the result of this is permanent and profound. It's catastrophic. I've received letters on behalf of the victim and their loved ones, and I've received letters on behalf of the defendant. All of them were very respectful to the opposing side, very, very respectful. And they were very good, I must say. And I read each and every one of them. I can assure you that spent quite a bit of time last week going over this material. frankly quite a bit of time contemplating where the court was going to land and that decision has not been made until now. Weston Muhlenberg was sentenced to 70 to 300 months behind bars which roughly translates to around 6 to 25 years in prison. It's not life but it is a significant time away if Weston ends up serving his maximum allowable sentence something that is albeit unlikely when considering the tragic facts of the case. But what we do need to recognize is that you were intoxicated, fired off multiple rounds in a dwelling where you knew there were people, and Connor died as a result of that. So we're going to hold you accountable for that by the same token, recognize that you do have a future. More often than not, the cases we cover fit within the definition of first-degree or intentional homicide. In other words, instances when individuals kill in cold blood. But the fact of the matter remains that poor choices and accidents can end lives too. That's because life is so fragile, and no one is immune to death. This is something we all have to face eventually, and it's the very same reason why the saying exists, to not take life for granted. Any day could be our final day, and we could make anyone else's day their last too. But this idea doesn't dawn on many of us when we're young, because at a young age, we struggle with the idea and concept of finality. It's only over time and with experience that we leave the realm of blissful ignorance behind after facing the unavoidable and continuous hardships of life. This is effectively when our innocence dies. For Weston and Josiah, that innocence died when their poor decisions led to the deaths of two innocent friends. These two separate instances of irresponsibility fueled by alcohol took Marissa and Connor away from their loved ones forever. But while these cases took place in completely different environments, with people from different walks of life, they are united in their profound tragedy. Marissa had only been married for two years, and Connor was due to be married himself. Both of their lives were far from over. In fact, they were just beginning. This means that Marissa and Connor were never given the opportunity to see what their lives held in store. Alternatively, Josiah and Weston will eventually be released from prison, a release which will effectively afford them a second chance at life. But even in that freedom, they will forever carry the immense trauma and guilt connected to their victims, always through one of life's most unforgiving lessons, that our actions have consequences. Invisible Choir is a completely independently recorded and produced podcast hosted by me, Michael Ojibwe, and brought to life by a dedicated team of creatives. This episode was written and produced by Trevor Payson with editing and engineering by Scott Ecklein. To learn more about our work or explore additional premium episodes, visit invisiblechoir.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Acts. Your continued support, whether by listening, sharing, or leaving us a five-star review, helps us keep uncovering the stories that need to be told. Thank you for being a part of the Invisible Choir community, and remember to never whistle at night. you