Sienna Dusk Owens, 11, of Franklin County, Tenn., died Dec. 11, 2015, from a fatal shotgun blast.The boy accused of firing a shotgun in December and fatally wounding an 11-year-old classmate has been found guilty in Juvenile Court of reckless homicide.
Sienna Dusk Owens was still alive in the garage of a Honey Lane home in Estill Springs, Tenn., in Franklin County when she was found on Dec. 11, 2015, according to authorities. The girl was pronounced dead when she arrived at a local hospital. She and the boy were classmates, officials said.
The boy, who was 12 at the time and has not been publicly identified, appeared Friday for a hearing before 12th District Juvenile Court Judge Thomas C. Faris. Faris set a sentencing date for Dec. 2, according to officials.
District Attorney Mike Taylor said that, under juvenile laws, the boy entered a best-interest plea and was technically found delinquent by reason of reckless homicide.
Taylor said there were numerous options for the judge to consider in the disposition of the case. For juveniles, sentencing is aimed more at treatment than punishment, he said.
Officers performed CPR on the girl at the scene in December, but she was pronounced dead on arrival at Southern Tennessee Medical Center in Winchester. The girl had been shot in the upper right area of her back.
The boy's mother, Jennifer Ann Amacher, was home when the shooting happened, and she also was charged in connection with that investigation.
Amacher, listed in booking records as a resident of Old Fort Street in Tullahoma, was charged in May with reckless endangerment. She has remained free on a $15,000 bond and her case is pending in Circuit Court, officials said.
Sienna was a North Middle School student who participated in soccer, cheerleading, basketball and track. She is survived by three sisters and two brothers, as well as her parents and grandparents, according to online obituary information on the Moore-Cortner Funeral Home website.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.