Abel Cedeno, 20, received 14 years for manslaughter and eight years for assault, but the sentences will run concurrently. He will be subject to five years probation after his release.
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Cedeno faced anywhere from five to 25 years behind bars after a judge found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in July in the death of 15-year-old Matthew McCree and the stabbing of 16-year-old Ariane Laboy at the Urban Assembly School for Wildlife Conservation in 2017.
Cedeno admitted to stabbing both boys, but he claimed he was repeatedly bullied, brought the knife for protection and only pulled the weapon after McCree punched him.
McCree's mother Lounna Dennis reportedly met with the district attorney prior to the sentencing, asking that Cedeno not be treated like a youthful offender and seeking the maximum sentence.
"I'm very pleased," Dennis said after the sentencing. "I didn't get my 50 years, but I will take the 14."
McCree's aunt, Lacey Providence, gave an impact statement in court.
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"I have so many happy memories of my nephew, but the only one that haunts me is to see his lifeless body," she said.
In an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News after his arrest, Cedeno said he took a knife to school because he feared for his safety.
"The class was very rowdy and loudness and everything," he said. "I just snapped."
He was given a turn to speak in court before his sentencing.
"I am sorry," he said. "I have to live with that the rest of my life."
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He claimed to be a changed person going through counseling.
"I wish that I could take it all back," he said.
Cedeno's family left the court without speaking, but his attorney called the sentence excessive.
"That is not in the normal range of things," Christopher Lynn said. "He has no record and he was 18 at the time."
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