13-year-old pleads guilty to murdering neighbor in her home

Transcript

00:00This morning, the family of a woman murdered by her 13-year-old neighbor

00:04is slamming a plea deal that will allow her killer to walk free in less than a decade.

00:09It doesn't feel like justice.

00:11The sentence you face will never equal the lifetime of loss you caused.

00:15The Ohio teen, not publicly named because he's a minor,

00:18has now pleaded guilty to murder and burglary,

00:21admitting to sneaking into 64-year-old Sheila Tenpenny's bedroom last February

00:25before beating and strangling her.

00:28I do feel sorry for you.

00:32Sorry that you had a family that did not teach you right from wrong.

00:36Investigators say the boy plotted the murder for months,

00:39even researching how to pick the perfect victim and how to strangle someone.

00:44Then, in the hours after the crime, police say he took to social media to brag about the killing,

00:49saying this one was a fighter.

00:52Investigators say they quickly tracked down their suspect

00:54because Tenpenny managed to fight back before her death.

00:58Police say they found the boy's blood and hair at the scene,

01:00despite his attempts to clean up.

01:03Now, under the newly accepted plea deal,

01:05the boy will stay in juvenile lockup for as long as legally allowed under Ohio law,

01:09meaning he'll walk free when he turns 21.

01:12Critics fear because he planned this crime for so long,

01:15he may kill again.

01:17But the boy's lawyer insists this is a fitting punishment for a killer who is so young.

01:23As part of the plea deal,

01:24the teen must complete school and attend therapy while in custody.