Man convicted of killing child molester at 14 years old to be re-sentenced

A Jacksonville mother is begging a judge to release her son.

Mark Berrios was sentenced to life in prison for killing a suspected pedophile when he was 14 years old.

Berrios shot and killed Olen Hepler and stole his truck and $800.

He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1995, but Berrios' family said there is much more to the story.

His mother Margaret Loring said Berrios ran away from a 30-day juvenile program in Daytona Beach when he was 14.

She said he was a good kid but got into mischief.

Loring said she never thought that mischief would lead to involvement with an abusive man.

Loring said Hepler was a pedophile who preyed on troubled boys.

She said her son felt there was no way out.

“My son grabbed the molester's gun and shot him," she said.

Berrios was later arrested in Jacksonville.

According to newspaper reports at the time, during the trial, evidence of Hepler’s pedophilia was not allowed to be admitted.

Berrios was convicted and given life without parole.

A recent Supreme Court ruling could change everything.

It says juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole, meaning Berrios has a shot at freedom.

On Monday, Berrios will be re-sentenced.

The judge has received a half-dozen letters of support, and expert testimony from a man who says he endured the same abuse.

“I try not to cry on the phone with him, make him think everything is good, keep his spirits up, but I cry inside,” Loring said of conversations with her son.

Loring said she hopes for a chance to pick up where they left off.

“There is no life for me with my son in prison,” she said.

Cox Media Group