Jupiter mother questions sentencing of man responsible for critically injuring her daughter
By Ari Hait
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JUPITER, Fla. (WPBF) — The mother of a Jupiter teenager is unhappy with the prison sentence given to the man responsible for critically injuring her daughter.
Nicole Mullins described her daughter, Makayla, as someone who “liked going to her friends’ house. She liked going to the beach. She liked shopping.”
Everything changed in December 2023.
“She had her whole life ahead of her,” Mullins said. “And this man just took all of that from her.”
The man Mullins is referring to is Ryan McCue.
Makayla was spending the night at a friend’s home and went riding on an ATV with a group of people.
McCue was driving the ATV.
Prosecutors said he was drunk.
The ATV crashed into a canal, and Makayla was pinned under water for 10 minutes.
She survived but suffered a traumatic brain injury.
“She can no longer speak. She can no longer swallow. She can not walk. She’s 24-hour care,” Mullins said.
Last week, McCue pleaded guilty to four felonies related to the crash.
The judge gave him the minimum sentence of 13 years in prison.
“It’s not justice for me and my family. We have the life sentence, and he gets out in 13 years and can get good behavior and continue his life,” Mullins said.
The judge also added a wrinkle to the sentence.
After his release from prison, McCue will be on probation for 20 years.
During those 20 years, McCue must spend one night in jail each year on the anniversary of the crash.
Despite her disappointment with the sentence, Mullins said she doesn’t plan to waste time worrying about it.
“My focus has been and will always be Makayla. Just doing everything I can to heal her brain,” she said. “I have 100% faith in God, and I know he’s going to heal my baby.”
Mullins has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for Makayla’s care.
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