The Maine teenager convicted of killing his mother in following a heated argument over missing marijuana has been sentenced to 33 years in jail.
Lukas Mironovas, 16, was handed down his sentence on Thursday for killing his mother 47-year-old Kimberly Mironovas, along with two other friends in her home in Litchfield in April 2018.
In a plea deal Lukas agreed to waive his right to argue that he should be tried as a juvenile and pleaded guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges.
He will serve the first 18 months of his sentence at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland until he turns 18, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Maine teen Lukas Mironovas, 16, was sentenced to 33 years in jail on Thursday for killing his mother 47-year-old Kimberly Mironovas in April 2018 after an argument over stolen marijuana
Lukas kept his head down in court at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta, Main as he was handed down his sentence
Lukas (pictured left in court September 2019) suffered from mental problems and behavioral issues at school that saw him repeatedly kicked out and suspended. His mother Kimberly Mironovas (right) invited his two friends from Massachusetts over to their Maine house in April 2018 to alleviate his loneliness. During that visit the trio plotted her death after she became upset at them for stealing her marijuana in April 2018
Lukas suffered from mental problems and behavioral issues at school that saw him repeatedly suspended and kicked out of school, which furthered his social isolation.
In April 2018 he was kicked out of his Maine school, leading his concerned mother Kimberly to invite his friends William Smith, now 17; and Thomas ‘TJ’ Severance, 14, from Ashland, Massachusetts to come to their Litchfield home for a visit.
But that visit ended up costing Kimberly her life.
On April 21 Kimberly discovered some of her marijuana was missing and accused the boys of stealing it. She became mad at them and said she wouldn’t give them a ride back to Massachusetts.
The following day the boys plotted to kill her and just after midnight carried out their attack.
After Kimberly went to bed, Lukas and his friend Smith went up to her bedroom, while Severance, who became hesitant about the plan to kill her, stayed downstairs.
Prosecutors said Smith and Lukas choked Kimberly and Lukas stabbed her in the throat and held his hand over her mouth, causing her to lose consciousness.
A state medical examiner said the cause of death was strangulation and stabbing.
‘But in a case where their mental health was not in fact the cause of it, there still is the consequence that must be paid,’ Maine State Prosecutor Meg Elam said outside court Thursday after Lukas’ sentence was declared
During the emotional sentencing on Thursday Beth Hutchins, Kimberly Mironova’s sister and Lukas’ aunt, testified that Lukas suffered from mental illness.
She said his mother and father sought treatment for his but failed despite their relentless efforts to seek help.
‘Lukas was in need of professional medical attention. And the steps my sister had taken revealed she did everything she could as a mother to help her son get well,’ she said.
Beth said the murder case has rocked their family. She says the family loved both the mother and son with all their heart and had empathy for both the victim and the assailant in the case that has rocked.
The defense said that Lukas was mentally ill and was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. His mental health disorder impaired his ability to link consequences to his actions.
Lukas pictured in court in September 2019. He will serve the first 18 months of his sentence at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland until he turns 18, according to Thursday’s sentence
‘But in a case where their mental health was not in fact the cause of it, there still is the consequence that must be paid,’ Maine State Prosecutor Meg Elam said outside court as per WGME.
In the plea agreement Elam agreed to cap his sentence at 35 years meaning he would serve at least the minimum sentence of 25 years, but no more than 35.
Aggravated factors considered in his sentence include the impact on the Mironvas family, the fact that the crime was pre-meditated and the fact that Kimberly suffered because she was conscious and aware as she was strangled and stabbed.
William Smith was described by a judge as the ‘prime mover’ in the dark murder plot and has already been sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Thomas ‘TJ’ Severance, who was 13 at the time of the attack, leaded guilty to conspiracy and has been committed to Long Creek Development Center until the age of 21.