Teen gets 45 years in prison after killing mom over grades

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A teenager from Florida, United States, who pleaded guilty to killing his mother has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Gregory Ramos was 15 when he strangled his mother, Gail Cleavenger in 2018 after an argument over his grades. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, abuse of dead body and tampering with evidence, NBC affiliate WESH reported on Friday, Jan. 22.

He testified during the hearing where he was sentenced. His sentence will be reviewed after 25 years and he will be on probation for the rest of his life.

Relatives paid tribute to his mother during the hearing and said they felt they lost both him and his mother. His grandmother, 84, was allowed to look at him up close for the first time since he was locked in jail, the report stated. She prayed in front of him and said she would always be there for him.

Ramos spoke kindly of his mother and apologized to his family during the hearing: “I refuse to make excuses for myself.”

After the incident in 2018, Volusia county sheriff Mike Chitwood described him as a “sociopath,” stating in a report that he had not shown any remorse for his actions.

Ramos attempted to strangle his mother after getting a “D” grade on one of his subjects. After thinking she was dead, he retrieved a wheelbarrow for her body. However, he noticed she was still breathing upon his return and spent 30 minutes strangling her again.

As per report, he enlisted the help of two male 17-year-olds to bury her body and stage a burglary in his home. The police saw through the cover-up and Ramos was placed in juvenile custody. Niña V. Guno/JB

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