Sentenced: Girl, 14 Fatally Beats Grandmother With Belt, Tells Cops She ‘Helped Her Die’

[Sugar Cookie]

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes after she allegedly said she struck the victim with a belt and helped her die will be charged as an adult, the Broward State Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Sofia Koval now faces a manslaughter charge in the May 23 killing of 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval, instead of the second-degree murder charge that she previously faced, prosecutors said in a statement.

The alleged beating happened at an apartment in the Pearl Condominiums. Authorities responded there after receiving a call about an unresponsive woman. They met Koval's son, who said he'd gone to visit a friend from about 7 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. and left Koval with his 14-year-old daughter.

He said when he returned, he found Koval unresponsive on the floor with abrasions on her neck and bruising on her face, arms and legs, officials said.

According to an arrest report, the teen told her dad that her grandmother had scratched her, and she "struck the victim several times with a belt" to defend herself. She then started crying, saying "she was sorry for what she had done."

Koval was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The Broward Medical Examiner's Office ruled Koval's death a homicide, and the teen was identified as a suspect and arrested.

In a redacted arrest report, the teenager allegedly told someone in Ukrainian that "the victim was already dying and that she had helped her die." That person advised that the Ukrainian word the teen used did not have a good translation to English, but that was what she was saying.

According to the teen's father, Sofia Koval had recently moved from Ukraine and was displaying "behavioral issues, which he believed are from the war she witnessed in Ukraine and her being separated from her mother," an arrest report states. He had taken her phone on the day of the killing to discipline her.

The arrest report goes on to say that after the killing, the teen was "very agitated and appeared aggressive at times. She was also constantly moving around. At this time it appeared that Sofia Koval was suffering from a possible psychotic episode." She was subsequently Baker Acted.

A redacted source in the report said the teen had never been diagnosed with a mental illness, but had been showing signs of aggression and being agitated. She had also not been eating or sleeping.

The redacted source also believed that the teen may have used her grandmother's walker to hit her, because he noticed that a piece of the walker was broken.

Though the maximum sentence for manslaughter is 15 years in prison, if convicted, the teen could be sentenced to juvenile sanctions.

"In the juvenile system, anyone found guilty and sentenced would have to be released after a maximum of three years and could only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21," the state attorney's office said. "Because she is not a U.S. citizen, she could be subject to deportation."

14-year-old may have used belt to kill grandma in Lauderdale Lakes: Police

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes appeared in court Wednesday morning as prosecutors weigh whether she’ll be charged as an adult.

www.nbcmiami.com

Post in thread 'Sentenced: Teen, 14, Accused Of Beating Her Grandma To Death Prays In Court'

Mar 23, 2026

A 14-year-old girl accused of killing her 79-year-old grandmother in Lauderdale Lakes back in May was sentenced to a juvenile program after pleading no contest in the death, prosecutors said.

Sofia Koval entered the plea to a manslaughter charge in adult court Wednesday and was immediately sentenced to up to three years in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice maximum risk commitment program, the Broward State Attorney's Office said.

After serving the maximum penalty in the...

• Sugar Cookie

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[cubby]

She won't be deported, sending her back to a war zone won't be allowed, I'm sure. Schizophrenia, maybe?

 

[Aedia]

Poor babushka! Wonder how long she was left to suffer there. I really hope the little demon didn't go back periodically and beat her over and over.
Were they all refugees?? Imagine, being almost 80 years old, fleeing from your home that's been invaded, thinking you're safe...and your 14 year old grandchild beats you to death! Yikes. Definitely not how you'd expect to meet your end.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

All these people we are letting in, regardless of age, need to be psychologically evaluated at their own expense.

Dad wanted her here he could pay for it.

I don't care if they are fleeing war or for economic reasons we need to make sure they are mentally sound and will not become a burden to the tax payers.

 

[thuumpr]

And most of us are saddened by children abused by adults...