Woman, 87, gets 31 years for 1976 killing

MIAMI, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- An 87-year-old Florida woman who jumped bail after being convicted of killing a teenager three decades ago has been sentenced to 31 years in prison.

Judge David Young told Maria Otero that if she had not gone into hiding she would have received the lenient treatment recommended by her 1976 pre-sentencing report, the Miami Herald reported.

During Friday's hearing, Otero denied deliberately shooting Johnnie Perez. The 13-year-old and friends were trespassing by swimming in the pool at an apartment complex she owned. She said she dropped the gun -- which she was using to try to scare the boys away, because she feared they would get hurt in the pool.

Perez's parents and siblings came to the sentencing. His sister, Janice, accompanied by a grown son, described how her brother's death destroyed their family.

Otero lived in Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, using her maiden name, and returned to Miami a decade ago.

Young imposed a sentence of 31 years and three days -- the time since the shooting -- plus six months for jumping bail.