Skylor Atilano admits to manslaughter in brother Terry Smith Jr's death
Teenager admits to manslaughter in 11-year-old half-brother's death and is sentenced to 12 years - but he'll be out by the time he's 23
- Terry Smith Jr, 11, was found in a shallow grave three days after he went missing
- His half-brother Skylor Atilano, 11, was arrested for his murder
- Atilano admitted to voluntary manslaughter in court Friday as part of a plea deal
- He was sentenced to 12 years in juvenile detention - but must be released by the age of 23
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A teenager has admitted to voluntary manslaughter in the death of his 11-year-old half-brother in Southern California last year.
Skylor Atilano, 17, made the admission Friday in juvenile court in Riverside County in the death of Terry Dewayne Smith Jr., whose disappearance in July 2013 set off a massive search before his remains were found days later behind his mother's Menifee house.
Judge Timothy Freer sentenced the teen to 12 years in juvenile detention, but under the law, he can only be held until age 23.
Sentenced; Skylor Atilano admitted to the voluntary manslaughter of his half-brother in juvenile court as part of a plea deal
Disappearance: Terry Smith Jr's body was found in a shallow grave on the family property days after he went missing
District attorney spokesman John Hall says the teen was originally charged with murder, but the case was downgraded in a deal with prosecutors.
The teenager didn't speak except to respond briefly to the judge.
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ShareThe boys' mother, Shawna Smith, spoke to reporters about the case after the hearing.
She said that despite knowing that Atilano was accepting a plea deal, she was upset to hear him enter a guilty plea.
She is still uncertain of what happened the night her younger son died.
'I don't think I'll ever know,' she told CBS Los Angeles, crying.
Search: Police and volunteers searched for Terry Smith Jr for four days before his body was found near the home he shared with his family
No closure: The boys' mother Shawna Smith (left) and her partner Dennise Bugna (right) still don't know what happened the day Terry Smith Jr died
All she knows, she said, is that Terry Smith Jr died of blunt force trauma to the head.
She believes her younger son died while the boys were rough housing, hitting his head on a coffee table and that her elder son, in a panic, hid his body.
'It was an accident gone awry,' she told NBC Los Angeles.
'And Sky is still my son. I still love him. I give him that unconditional love.'
Her partner Dennise Bugna told reporters that she does not believe this boy's body could have lain in a shallow grave on the family property for days without anyone knowing about it.
'The body wasn’t there for three days, bottom line. I know my property. I know my dogs. There’s no way two cadaver dogs could miss that,' Bugna said, reports CBS Los Angeles.
No details were released at the hearing because the teen is a minor.
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