MIAMI – The mother of a slain 15-year-old girl has been waiting for justice since a 17-year-old boy shot her in the head on May 12 in Miami.
Thalys Oliveira, now 18 years old, is facing a charge of manslaughter with a deadly weapon. Oliveira was accused of shooting Arya Gray, a Miami Beach Senior High School student.
“She did not deserve to die. My child had everything going for her. She had so many loved ones,” Arya’s mother, Maria Elena Gray, said on Thursday.
Prosecutors charged Oliveira as an adult on June 3. The coronavirus pandemic delayed his trial. On Thursday night, he remained on house arrest with his parents. Manslaughter with a deadly weapon is a bondable offense.
Maria Elena Gray said Oliveira needs to be behind bars.
“I feel like the justice system isn’t on my side,” she said.
The grieving mother said she thinks about her daughter when she is awake and she has nightmares when she is sleeping.
“I know it’s not going to bring my child back ... at least Arya can look down and say, ‘You did it, mom!’ He deserves to be in jail,” she said through tears. “He deserves to be in jail!”