JOPPA, MD—Jaylen Rushawn Prince received a sentence of Life plus twenty years, suspending all but 80 years to serve, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in the Circuit Court for Harford County for the First Degree Murder of Warren Curtis Grant. The sentencing followed Prince’s May 2025 jury conviction stemming from the fatal shooting that occurred on September 6, 2024, at Joppatowne High School.
The sentence handed down by the Honorable Judge Keven Mahoney effectively ensures Prince, who was a juvenile at the time of the offense, will remain incarcerated for a significant portion of his life due to his long history of violent and assaultive behavior. Because the crime involves violence, Prince will not be eligible for his first parole review until at least half of the sentence is served.
Victim’s Family Seeks ‘Accountability and Justice’
During the sentencing hearing, State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey presented ten emotional victim impact statements from Grant’s family and friends. The statements detailed the “crushing emotional toll” and “incomprehensible loss,” describing the victim as “selfless, loving, kind, and loyal.” Through their deeply personal accounts, the family requested “accountability and justice” for the “senseless murder.”
Prosecutor Cites Significant Risk to Public Safety
State’s Attorney Healey argued that Prince is, and may never be, “amendable to treatment,” asserting he remains a serious risk to public safety. She requested a total sentence of Life suspending all but 100 years to ensure prolonged incarceration, as the State was unable to seek Life without the Possibility of Parole due to the defendant’s age at the time of the crime.
To support the State’s argument, Healey introduced extensive documentation of Prince’s violent history:
- Harford County Public School records showed a longstanding pattern of violence, including threats toward teachers, multiple physical attacks on peers, and continuous verbally abusive behavior.
- Two hundred pages of records from the Charles H. Hickey School outlined continued, often unprovoked, assaultive behaviors, sometimes requiring physical restraint, and persistent threats and verbal abuse toward staff, which continued even after his conviction.
- A psychological evaluation by Dr. Witczak, a Department of Mental Health psychologist, was filed, finding Prince to be an “extremely high risk for future violence.”
Healey emphasized that the court’s message “must be swift and certain” to deter future gun violence in schools.
Judge Highlights Premeditation and Violence History
Judge Mahoney noted the “profound and long lasting” effects of the tragedy. He stressed that children should be able to attend school without fear, stating “this should not be an acceptable reality.”
In handing down the sentence, the Judge highlighted that the victim posed no threat to the defendant, and that Prince “clearly and knowingly brought a loaded firearm to school with the intent to use it.” He also emphasized the Defendant’s “long and significant history of violence” before imposing the sentence of Life plus 20 years, suspending all but 80 years, along with five years of supervised probation upon release.
State’s Attorney Hopeful Sentence Sends Strong Message
Following the sentencing, State’s Attorney Healey issued a statement: “No sentence will ever bring Warren back to his loved ones or make up for the fact that his life was cut short in the most tragic and senseless way. However, today we did our best to seek justice for both him and his family.”
She concluded, “Through this sentence, we have ensured that Jaylen Prince will no longer be a threat to our community. It is my hope that today will help close the hardest chapter of Warren family’s lives and send the message that gun violence will not be tolerated in our schools, or in our community at all for that matter.”
Healey also thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Baranauskas for his continued assistance as second chair in the case.
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
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