EVERETT—Samuel Gizaw, now 18, who killed 13-year-old Jayda Woods Johnson with a stray bullet at Lynnwood’s Alderwood Mall back in 2024, pled guilty to second-degree murder and deadly weapon special verdict during his court appearance Wednesday, August 26, at the Snohomish County Courthouse.
“I would like to say that I’m truly sorry for my actions. I take full responsibility for what I did. I made such a horrible mistake at such a young age that affected the lives of many people. I hope that today’s guilty plea gives more closure to the family. I’m so sorry for what I did. I can’t even imagine what they go through every day,” said Gizaw at his plea hearing Wednesday.
Gizaw was just 16 years old when he pulled out a gun, in response to a fight breaking out in Alderwood Mall’s food court on July 3, 2024, and fired at his assailants. Jayda Woods, who was an innocent bystander that had nothing to do with the altercation, was struck by a single bullet fired by Gizaw and died later that evening.
Jayda was described by her mother as being sweet, loved, and having “so” many friends. She was an 8th grade student at Brier Terrace Middle School.
“Our precious Jayda was a 13-year-old girl full of life who loved all things about it. She loved exploring new places, singing, dancing. She seemed to know every song and movie ever made. She loved her two little brothers and was her baby brother’s favorite person,” Jayda’s parents, Tabatha and Jeremy Johnson said.
In the wake of Woods Johnson’s death, hundreds of her family, friends, and classmates gathered in solidarity at Mountlake Terrace High School for a candlelight vigil on July 7, 2024. Many who spoke at that vigil shared that she was always a ray of sunshine and the “life of the party.”
Gizaw’s parents turned him in after he was identified by mall security cameras. He was later released on a $500,000 bond.
Woods Johnson’s parents said they would have preferred a first-degree murder charge but Gizaw “being a juvenile, and this being the State of Washington, it’s probably the best [they’re] going to get.”
“As much as we want justice for Jayda, and that’s still number one for us, there’s no good at the end of the day,” Tabitha Johnson told reporters Wednesday.
Woods Johnsons parents have since called upon the Washington State legislature to enact, what they’re naming, “Jayda’s Law” which would have harsher consequences for juveniles who commit serious crimes.
Gizaw’s defense attorney, Bryan Hershman, while admitting Gizaw’s actions were “asinine” couldn’t help but think that the teenagers who assaulted Gizaw that day in 2024 were getting off easy. He called them the “first domino to fall over” that caused the initial problem.
Though Washington’s maximum statutory sentence for second-degree murder could be life imprisonment, alongside fines up to $50,000, Gizaw’s lack of criminal history could reduce this to a maximum of 18.5 years. With the addition of the deadly weapon charge (which is a five-year minimum) this could be upwards to a maximum of 23 years, though the precise sentencing will be determined on October 23.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
