CINCINNATI — The man who was 17 years old when he shot and killed a University of Cincinnati student took a plea deal on Monday.
Justin Dugan pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault, and in exchange, the charges of aggravated murder and murder were dropped. The judge sentenced him to 21 years in prison.
Although Dugan was 17 when he shot and killed 21-year-old Benjamin Addison in March 2024, a judge ruled that he would face trial as an adult.
Addison was killed on Highland Avenue near Dorchester on March 30, 2024, after Cincinnati police said two teenagers tried to steal his car.
"We can't sleep, we can't think, we can't eat, I know it's been a year, but for us it feels like it just happened," said Yeshi Leggesse, Addison's mother, in court Monday.
"We miss him every second of every day, Benjamin was our world; we dedicated our entire life to getting him to where he was," said Joe Addison, his father.
On Monday in a Hamilton County courtroom, his parents pleaded with Judge Alison Hatheway to impose the maximum sentence of 26.5 years for Dugan. The 18-year-old pleaded guilty to shooting and killing Addison last year in Mount Auburn. The shooting happened after Dugan and another teenager allegedly tried stealing Addison's car.
The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office said the basis for the negotiated plea deal was about what prosecutors could prove in court. The Addison family originally wanted this case to go to trial, and was not happy with the negotiated plea deal of 21 years in prison.
"He (Dugan) went out and stole a gun from somebody, under the age of legally possessing a weapon, stole a gun, tried to steal a car, murdered somebody, tried to murder other people and he's only looking at 21 years, that is absolutely abhorrent," said Joe Addison.
Pleas for a tougher sentence from family members and friends continued before Judge Hatheway made her decision.
"This shell of a human, this monster, took my only, only real friend, my best man who would've been at my wedding in a month," said Caleb Bishop, friend of Benjamin Addison's. "This was not an accident, this was premeditated."
"Every time that you look at your hands, you will see that they are drenched in the blood of an innocent person," said Tshai Leggesse, Benjamin Addison's aunt.
Hear from the family and friends of Addison during the sentencing:
Dugan asked the judge if he could face the Addison family before sentencing. The judge allowed it, and he apologized to the family.
"I truly am sorry, I pray to God every night for forgiveness and one day hopefully, you'll find it in your heart to give me mercy," said Dugan.
If he were alive today, Addison would be graduating next month from UC with a business degree and wanted to pursue a career in IT. His family is still grieving and trying to envision their lives after losing their only child.
"We'll have to live with that, and that's really what we're doing is just surviving day to day," said Joe Addison.
A year after Addison's death a memorial service was held on UC's campus to honor him. We asked Addison's parents the conversations they would've had with their son if he were still alive.
"I would've said this is your last year, buckle down finish and you got the rest of your life," said Leggesse.
Watch below to see how Addison's loved ones memorialized him one year after his murder
