photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

Sahavione K. Caraway walks out of a Douglas County courtroom after he was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, for attempted first-degree murder.

One of the two Topeka teens accused in a double shooting at a Lawrence park in 2019 was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison on Wednesday.

Judge Sally Pokorny sentenced Sahavione K. Caraway, now 19, to 155 months in prison for attempted first-degree murder, a level-one felony. She also sentenced him to 59 months, almost five years, for aggravated robbery, a level-three felony.

Caraway and Benson J. Edwards Jr., who is also 19 now, were accused of shooting two brothers in the park’s parking lot. The brothers, Ulises and Daniel Rojo, who were 18 and 16 at the time, were both seriously injured, the Journal-World previously reported.

Caraway was convicted of the two charges last month through a plea deal, which included the recommended sentence. Pokorny agreed to follow the plea agreement recommendation to have the sentences run concurrently. Additionally, Caraway was credited with 518 days toward that sentence for the amount of time he spent in jail prior to sentencing.

Caraway’s attorney, Branden Smith, said the sentence was appropriate because it also allowed for Caraway to be released for good behavior after nine years, which would occur before he turned 30.

photo by: Dylan Lysen/Lawrence Journal-World

Sahavione K. Caraway looks at his attorney, Branden Smith, before he was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison for a conviction of attempted first-degree murder.

But before handing down the sentence, Pokorny told Caraway she was not sure if he understood how his actions had hurt the brothers and their family more than just physically.

“You have shattered for the rest of their lives any sense that they are safe in this world,” Pokorny said. “They are going to have this lifetime scar that they are going to have to live with because of your actions.”

The court also heard from Daniel Rojo, who said in a written statement read to the court that he spent three months using a wheelchair during his recovery and that he still suffers ongoing physical problems in his legs and arms because of the shooting.

Rojo said he was thankful that he and his brother were able to survive the shooting and that they were grateful to the Lawrence residents in the area who quickly reported the incident to police. But he also said that the event was traumatizing for him and his family and that he is now suspicious of others. He told the judge that he believed Caraway would do something as dangerous again if he were not held accountable.

“I sensed there was real evil in the world for the first time,” Rojo said of the shooting.

Meanwhile, Caraway and his mother, Sheretta Redmond, apologized to the Rojo family for the incident and said they hoped they recovered. Redmond said she was also praying for the family.

“We prayed several times for the family of the victims when this happened,” Redmond said through tears. “We see today that prayer works. I’m glad the victims have pulled through. I hope they get better. I will continue to pray, and I’m sorry this had to happen to them.”

Caraway and Edwards were each charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting both brothers multiple times, plus two counts of aggravated robbery for allegedly stealing vaping cartridges and an iPhone from the brothers, the Journal-World previously reported.

Edwards’ case is scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 31. He was released from custody after posting a $200,000 own-recognizance bond in September 2020, according to court records.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Benson J. Edwards Jr., pictured in December 2019

Edwards and Caraway were minors at the time of the incident, but former Douglas County District Court Chief Judge Peggy Kittel ruled that they would be tried as adults, noting the seriousness of the brothers’ injuries and the “enormous safety risk” the incident posed to the community, among other reasons, the Journal-World reported.

In that ruling, Kittel also outlined what allegedly happened at the park:

Daniel Rojo, the 16-year-old, testified that he and his brother were in a pickup truck when Edwards approached them, began a drug transaction and then turned and nodded to Caraway, who was seated in a nearby car. Caraway then allegedly got out of the car and approached the brothers with a rifle, which the charging document in his case alleges was a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 — an assault-style rifle.

Caraway and Edwards then proceeded to rob the brothers, the ruling said, and when the brothers realized what was happening, Ulises Rojo, the 18-year-old, put the truck in reverse to get away. The ruling said that Caraway then shot the driver, who went unconscious, and that the truck rolled backward through the parking lot until it hit a sign.

Caraway and Edwards then got back in their car and drove up to the truck, and Caraway got out again and told the brothers, “Give me (expletive) everything or I’ll kill you,” the ruling said.

Ulises was shot in the heart and lung; Daniel was shot in the arm and leg. Both needed surgery, and Daniel has a plate holding his arm together, had a skin graft and was in a wheelchair for three months after surgery on his kneecap.

photo by: Sara Shepherd

Lawrence police investigate at the scene of a double shooting on Friday, March 29, 2019, at Holcom Park, in the parking lot at 26th Street and Lawrence Avenue.

Officers recovered nine spent bullet casings from the scene, but it was not clear from the ruling whether all the casings came from the same weapon. The brothers were unarmed and “made no threatening moves during the events,” the ruling said. A man who lived nearby reportedly took a photo of Caraway pointing the rifle toward the brothers at point-blank range.

Police apprehended Caraway and Edwards — who were both living at Topeka addresses at the time, though Edwards attended Lawrence High School from August 2016 through January 2019 — as they were heading out of Lawrence and onto Interstate 70 shortly after the incident.

At that time, officers found a handgun in the vehicle as well as a rifle bearing Caraway’s fingerprints. Edwards was in possession of a .32-caliber Tanfoglio Giuseppe handgun, the charging document in his case alleged.

Both were originally taken to the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center. They remained there until they turned 18, when they were transferred to the adult jail.

According to Kittel’s ruling, Caraway reportedly told a staff member at the Juvenile Detention Center that he should have “just killed the two boys and be done with it.”

“This juvenile blamed God for letting all this happen after he had prayed to God to keep him safe during the robbery,” the ruling said. “This offender stated God put him in this situation where he had to shoot the victims.”