Gunman who killed Haydia Pendleton sentenced to 84 years

The man who fatally shot Haydia Pendleton while she was hanging out with friends at a park in the south side of Chicago has been sentenced to 84 years in prison.

Haydia Pendleton killer sentenced

At the hearing, 24-year-old Micheail Ward denied he was the gunman who fired into the group of high school students, killing Haydia and injuring two others.

Despite a video-taped confession, Ward later recanted and maintained his innocence throughout the trial and hearing.

Teen killed at a park

The teenager was shot and killed on January 29th, 2013 when Ward and co-defendant Kenneth Williams attacked her and her friends in a park, mistaking them for members of a rival gang, authorities said.

Both men had ties to a violent Chicago gang.

A week before she was shot in the back, the honor student and drum majorette had performed at Obama’s second inauguration. First lady Michelle Obama attended Hadiya’s funeral.

“I loathe Michaeil and his very existence because every breath he gets to take is one breath more than my 15-year-old daughter was allowed to breathe,” Cowley said, reading from a written statement in court, according to CNN.

“Hadiya is serving a death sentence handed down by Michaeil Ward and the family is doing life as a result of her death,” she added.