CLEVELAND, Ohio- Steven Sopko, a 17-year-old from Parma, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 31 years for the murder of 14-year-old Braylon Hardges. Sopko was convicted of murder, aggravated murder, and felonious assault for shooting Braylon more than a dozen times in the back in 2023. During the sentencing, Braylon’s mother, Seaerra LeFlore, expressed her gratitude to the prosecutors and detectives for securing justice. She stated that the sentence was a significant relief, not just for her family, but for public safety as well. Judge Nancy Fuerst emphasized that Sopko’s crime went beyond youthful mistakes, calling it “cruel and brutal.”
