A 14-year-old girl from Ohio has been charged with aggravated murder for allegedly shooting her father.
ABC News Chicago reports that Bresha Meadows shot her father while he was sleeping.
The gun involved in the shooting reportedly belonged to the deceased father, 41-year-old Jonathan Meadows.
In a surprising twist, the mother of the teen is defending her daughter’s action saying she did so in self-defense.
“She is my hero. She helped me; she helped all of us so we could have a better life,” Brandi Meadows told Fox 8 News in Cleveland.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the mother, Brandi reveals a history of abuse by the hands of her former husband. She even went so far as to file for a protective order against him but later dismissed it after the couple temporarily reconciled their differences.
Bresha reportedly ran away from home early this summer in fear of her life and the safety of her mom and sister.
“She is my hero. I wasn’t strong enough to get out and she helped me,” the mother said.
Members on either side of the family have conflicted accounts of the circumstance and allegations of abuse. One of Bresha’s aunts, Lena Cooper, sister of the Jonathan Meadows, describes her niece as a “cold, calculated” murderer. Another aunt, sister of the mother Brandi, Martina Latessa says Bresha has no history of violence.
“From day one she was born into a nightmare,” Latessa told Fox 8 News in Cleveland.
Currently, the teen is being held in protective custody. The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the family. To date, it has raised $20,000 from supporters.
