MIAMI (WSVN) - A young woman has been sentenced to over a decade behind bars after pleading guilty to fatally stabbing her boyfriend in Miami back in 2024.
Emotions ran high in a Miami courtroom Tuesday as 18-year-old Jahara Malik learned how many years she would spend in jail after she pled guilty to manslaughter.
“The court sentences you to 17 years in Florida state prison followed by five years of reported probation,” said Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Christine Hernandez.
Family members of 17-year-old Yahkeim Lollar, whom Malik fatally stabbed in a parking garage in December of 2024, were overcome by emotion after their yearslong fight for justice.
“My son can finally rest in peace knowing that justice was served,” said Nathalie Jean, Lollar’s mother.
Prior to the judge’s decision, Lollar’s loved ones packed the courtroom and connecting hallway during Tuesday’s hearing.
Some of his loved ones needed to step out of the room after becoming overwhelmed by emotions during the sentencing hearing.
At one point, Malik held back tears as surveillance video showed the moments she fatally stabbed Lollar.
“You can hear the victim saying at some point: ‘Jahara, don’t,'” said City of Miami Police Sgt. Juan Santos.
Lollar was a football player for Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
Santos, one of the detectives who responded to the 2024 call, was among those who testified before the court.
The knife used by Malik in the stabbing was also shown to the court.
Malik had told police that day that the stabbing was an accident — a deadly, unintended result of horseplay between the pair.
Despite that claim, Malik pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing Lollar in March.
Prosecutors were seeking 20 years in prison along with 10 years of probation while Lollar’s loved ones were pushing for a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars.
The defense asked for leniency due to Malik’s age.
Prior to the sentencing, Malik addressed the court, saying she’s haunted by what happened.
“The family wants me in prison. I’m in my own prison for the rest of my life. This was my best friend, my love and someone I could vent to about anything and everything. He was a good person and definitely should have been here. We would’ve been getting ready for prom and graduation right now. This is just a sad situation. I miss him every day,” Malik told the court.
Malik also took responsibility for her actions and apologized for the pain she caused.
“I was reckless. That knife should never have been out and because of that, a life was lost. I was wrong for what I did and every day, I sit and think about the damage I caused. I loved y’all’s son so much, and I never wanted this to happen to him,” said Malik.
The judge ultimately made her decision after factoring in Malik’s age and the evidence presented in court.
“The amount of force that was required to inflict that wound was not accidental,” said Hernandez.
After delivering the sentence, the reaction was swift.
“She believed that this was not intended but she understood that she still has to accept responsibility for her actions,” said defense attorney Larry Handfield.
Some of Lollar’s family members weren’t completely satisfied with the final result.
“Justice was not served tonight. In situations like this, both parties lose,” said Garry Malik, the victim’s uncle.
The road to reach this point has not been easy for Lollar’s family, who held protests outside of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office that eventually led to prosecutors to file charges against Malik more than a month after the killing.
“My son is dead. Why am I fighting for justice for my son?” said Jean during the protest.
Now, she said that justice has finally been served.
“[She] was not walking out of that door, that’s what matters. I’m glad she got it, she got what she deserves. He was 17, now she has to wait 17 of her life, enjoying jail, thinking about what she did to my son,” said Jean.
Malik will serve 17 years in prison and five years of probation. She will also be required to undergo a mental health evaluation and write a letter on each anniversary of the stabbing about the impact it has had on her.
Malik’s family is considering appealing the sentence.
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