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The man who entered the mall Mall of America in Minnesota "is looking for someone to kill" and then threw a 5-year-old boy from the third floor balcony was sentenced on Monday to nearly 20 years in prison .
Emmanuel Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty last month to attempted first degree murder in the April attack. The child, identified only as Landen, survived the 10-meter drop but suffered head trauma and fractured bones in the arms and legs. His family said that he was recovering again.
Landen's parents did not attend the hearing, but they said in statements addressed to Aranda and read aloud to the court that they forgave and prayed for him.
"You chose to think of yourself that day, what you felt and wanted to do to someone else," wrote Landen's mother. "I'm sad that you chose anger and hatred. Something very serious must have happened for you to want to do that to a nice, innocent little boy. I am sorry for everything you have experienced. I hope God can save you and show you what his love is one day. "
Aranda listened with his head bowed and, according to local sources, refused to make his own statement, without giving any reason or remorse for a seemingly random act of violence that shook Minnesota.
"Your act was diabolical and selfish. You chose to listen to the worst aspects of yourself that day, "said Landen's father in his statement. "You chose evil rather than good and chose to take your hate and hurt my precious boy. This is where your impact on us ceases, you will not get anything out of it. "
[Man charged with throwing boy off mall balcony had history of accosting women, authorities say]
After the conviction of his son, Becky Aranda apologized on his behalf and told reporters that he was suffering from mental health problems and that he had been diagnosed with autism, depression and schizophrenia. But she said her family had never been sure of what was really tormenting her.
"We just know this disease is going to burst," said Becky Aranda, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He would be fine most of the time … and all of a sudden, all of a sudden, it was going out of nowhere."
But Cheri Townsend, deputy attorney for Hennepin County, said Aranda's actions were planned and deliberate, the Star Tribune reported.
"The defendant repeatedly acknowledged in his interview that he had planned and planned to kill someone at the mall that day and that he was aware that what was going on 39, it was bad, "wrote the police in his indictment.
Aranda's sentence of 19 years is the maximum sentence recommended by state guidelines for this crime. When he was charged, the archives record a series of his previous offenses with the famous Bloomington, Minnesota mall, which attracts 40 million visitors a year.
In July 2015, he was arrested for property damage, disorderly conduct and interference in a peace officer after throwing objects from the upper part of the mall that destroyed a beauty exhibit underneath.
Less than four months later, he returned to the mall, violating a non-violation order. He approached a woman who was waiting in front of a restaurant and asked her to buy something from him, according to the records. She refused. Aranda then followed her into the restaurant, sat down at a nearby table and continued to ask her to buy something for him or give him some money. He became aggressive after the intervention of the restaurant staff and he threw water and a glass of tea on the woman. He was later arrested on six counts.
He had also received a warrant for arrest for assault in Illinois, police said.
Landen's family remained private and made statements only through lawyers and a public relations firm, but online fundraising served as the basis for the boy's recovery in recent years. weeks and raised more than $ 1 million for medical expenses.
In a recent article, his parents said that Landen had to undergo other surgeries, but that all prayers and wishes had worked: "He is recovering and his mind is strong – but the road is still long. "
Katie Mettler and Kayla Epstein contributed to this report.
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