A 14-year-old girl accused of killing his 79-year-old grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes in May He was sentenced to a youth program after pleading no contest to death, prosecutors said.

Sofia Koval pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in adult court on Wednesday and was immediately sentenced to up to three years in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice’s maximum risk commitment program, the Broward State Attorney’s Office said.

After serving the maximum sentence in the program, she will be under community supervision until age 21, although she is expected to be transferred to federal custody for deportation to her native Ukraine because she is not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors said.

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes after she allegedly said she hit the victim with a belt and helped her die will be charged as an adult, the Broward State Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.

Koval was accused of May 23 murder of Yevheniia Koval, 79, who had been found beaten to death.

The alleged beating occurred in an apartment at the Pearl Condominiums on Northwest 41st Street. Authorities went there after receiving a call about an unresponsive woman. They met with Koval’s son, who said he had gone to visit a friend from approximately 7 pm to 12:30 am and had left Koval with his 14-year-old daughter.

He said when he returned, he found Koval unconscious on the floor with abrasions on his neck and bruises on his face, arms and legs, authorities said.

According to an arrest report, the teen told her father that her grandmother had scratched her and she “hit the victim several times with a belt” to defend herself. Then he began to cry and said, “I was sorry for what I had done.”

Yevheniia Koval was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

In a redacted arrest report, the teen allegedly told someone in Ukrainian that “the victim was already dying and that she had helped him die.” That person informed him that the Ukrainian word the teen used did not have a good English translation, but that was what she was saying.

According to the teen’s father, Sofia Koval had recently moved from Ukraine and was displaying “behavioral problems, which he believed were due to the war she witnessed in Ukraine and her separation from her mother,” according to an arrest report. He had taken her phone away on the day of the murder to discipline her.

The state attorney’s office said prosecutors met extensively with the victim’s family before agreeing to the teen’s change of plea, and said the victim’s son, who is also the teen’s father, “fully supported the outcome.” and thanked the prosecution, the defense and the judge for how they had done it.” handled the case.”

The maximum sentence the teenager faced was up to 15 years in adult prison.

The judge overseeing the case told Koval that if she violates any terms of her sentence in the future, she will be sent back to him and could face that maximum sentence of 15 years.

“Due to the heinous nature of the crime and after considering everything presented by the defense, I believe it is appropriate that this case be transferred to adult court and that juvenile sanctions be imposed,” said Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor , in a statement on Wednesday. “We considered all options and worked closely with the victim’s family and defense attorneys from the Broward Public Defender’s Office to reach an appropriate resolution that holds her accountable but also takes into account her age and the circumstances of this crime. “.