Sain had earlier pleaded not guilty to four murder counts, two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of felonious assault, tampering with evidence, carrying a concealed weapon and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.
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Earlier testimony from witnesses who said they were with Sain and Graham that night described it as a drug deal gone bad. Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor John Amos said the plea agreement was the best move for all parties involved.
“He pled to what he did,” Amos said. “The family and the police department all feel that this is the appropriate resolution – not to have to put them through a trial. There was really no defense to this.
“This was somewhat of a situation where it should never have happened,” he added. “It was over a small amount of marijuana. But at the end, he’s responsible for what he did. And he took responsibility today.”
Graham’s grandmother, Marilyn Walker, said the loss has taken a toll on her family.
“It tore not only me apart, but my whole family,” Walker said. “We’re working on it, but it’s not easy. I do pray in my heart that we can get some help for (people) who have certain tendencies to harm others.”
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Neither the defendant or his defense attorney, Patrick Mulligan, addressed the court. Sain stood as Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara Gorman explained what he was pleading guilty to.
Sain is set to be sentenced on Sept. 11. Under terms of the deal, he will serve 18 years to life in prison, Gorman said. He has been in juvenile detention since the day after the shooting, held on $1 million bond.
Police records indicate Sain, who has an extensive juvenile court record, had a Moraine address. But he moved from the area shortly before the shooting, officials said.
Sain was 17 on Sept. 13 when Graham was killed outside the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton off Ohio 741.
His case was transferred to adult court earlier this year after a hearing in Montgomery County Juvenile Court Judge Anthony Capizzi’s courtroom.
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Former high school classmates testified in juvenile court Sain pulled a gun on Graham before the victim was shot in a struggle in the hotel’s parking lot with a weapon police have not found.
Sain’s juvenile record dates back about three years and involves more than 90 charges, court records show.
In previous cases, the teen was found delinquent on more than half of those charges. They range from probation violations and drug possession to theft, receiving stolen property, criminal damaging, endangering, aggravated menacing and assault, court records show.
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