MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — Clutching a Bible in her handcuffed hands, former prep school student Afrika Owes pleaded guilty to helping ferry guns for a Harlem gang Thursday morning as part of a deal struck with the prosecution.
Under the agreement, the 17-year-old Owes, who once attended Deerfield Academy boarding school, will remain in jail for the summer, but be released in time to begin her senior year of high school in the fall.
"You come here with your own talents and the hopes of your community," Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Edward McLaughlin said. "Redemption is possible with repudiation of evil."
Owes will remain on probation for the five years following her release, at which point she could have her convictions — which included several counts of conspiracy and weapons possession — replaced by adjudicated youthful offender status, McLaughlin said.
The judge explained that he had chosen not to specify the precise date of Owes' release in order to remind her that she lost control over the terms of her freedom when she became involved in criminal activity.
In explaining the leniency of her sentence, McLaughlin pointed to the defendant's academic promise and strong ties to the Abyssinian Baptist Church, which posted $25,000 bail to fund her release. The church's money was returned after Owes turned herself in in exchange for her plea deal June 28.
Included in the terms of the deal was the requirement that Owes be admitted to a college or university that is "consistent with [her] academic potential," McLaughlin said.
She is also prohibited from having contact with the 13 others who were indicted in a February gang bust, including her one-time boyfriend Jaquan Layne.
McLaughlin promised that Owes, who faced up to 25 years in prison, would receive a minimum sentence of 3 ½ years if she were to violate the terms of the agreement — an eventuality that he called "catastrophic."
Prosecutor Chris Ryan said the deal was a second chance for Owes, adding, "[She has] squandered opportunities in the past — we hope that doesn't happen again."
Owes' attorney, Elsie Chandler, said her client was committed to turning her life around, saying she'd carried an 81 average during her last semester of high school despite having spent much of the term on Rikers Island after she was swept up in the Harlem gang bust.
"This is a young woman for whom school is a lifeline," Chandler said after the sentencing.
While the crowd of supporters in the audience — including Rep. Charles Rangel — was not as large as it has been in the past, Gerald Babour, chairman of the deacons at Abyssinian Baptist Church, was there and said he was "overjoyed" by the day's developments.
"We see a young lady with great potential," he said, adding, "I think the judge himself was quite moved by the case."
Quoting John F. Kennedy during his sentencing, the judge reminded Owes once again of the opportunity that was being afforded her.
"Of those to whom much has been given, much is expected," McLaughlin told Owes. "Your future is once again in your hands."
