Steven Sopko is a teen killer from Ohio who would murder teen Braylon Hardges
According to court documents Steven Sopko and Braylon Hardges left Sopko’s girlfriends home together. As the two teens were walking down the street Steven would allow Braylon to walk in front of him
Steven Sopko would pull out a gun and shoot the teen over a dozen of times in the back. Braylon Hardges would be rushed to the hospital but would die from his injuries
Steven Sopko would be arrested over a month later and ultimately be convicted of the murder. Sopko who was sixteen at the time of the murder was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for thirty one years
Steven Sopko Case
A 17-year-old convicted in the murder of 14-year-old Braylon Hardges will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Steven Sopko, 17, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 31 years.
The fatal shooting occurred on November 5, 2023, near East 90th Street and Edmunds Avenue in Cleveland. At the time, Sopko was 16 years old. Prosecutors revealed that Sopko shot Hardges 13 times in the back after the two exited a residence where Sopko’s girlfriend lived.
According to the investigation, after the shooting, Sopko fled the scene and returned to his girlfriend’s home. Emergency responders transported Hardges to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Cleveland Police Department’s Homicide Unit conducted the investigation, using evidence from phone records, social media, and ballistics tests to link Sopko to the crime.
He was arrested on January 4, 2024, by the U.S. Marshal’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.
On October 25, 2024, a jury found Sopko guilty of one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, and two counts of felonious assault.
Judge Nancy Fuerst imposed the life sentence on Thursday, emphasizing the severity of the crime.
https://fox8.com/news/local-teen-sentenced-for-murder-of-14-year-old
