Final Defendant Sentenced in Death of Special Needs Teen at Upper West Side Apartment

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced this week that 37-year-old Mitchaux Booker has been sentenced to 18 years in state prison for his role in the 2021 death of 15-year-old Jallen McConnie, a special needs teen who was staying at a relative’s Upper West Side apartment.

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According to the D.A.’s office, Booker pleaded guilty on October 29, 2025 to one count of First Degree Manslaughter. His sentencing marks the final resolution in a case that involved three family members connected to McConnie’s abuse and death.

Bragg said Mitchaux Booker carried out “a prolonged and brutal campaign of sustained physical and emotional abuse” against the teen, adding that Booker delayed seeking medical care and lied to authorities in an attempt to cover up what happened.

“No family should ever have to endure such unimaginable heartbreak and devastation, and now, those involved have all been held accountable,” Bragg said in a statement.

As previously reported by ILTUWS, McConnie was staying at an apartment near West 94th Street and Columbus Avenue during the summer of 2021 when the abuse occurred. He was pronounced dead on June 28 after weeks of physical and emotional torment.

In March 2025, Johnette Booker — McConnie’s cousin and the primary caregiver during his stay — was sentenced to 20 years in state prison after being convicted at trial on multiple charges, including First Degree Manslaughter. Prosecutors said she repeatedly assaulted McConnie, forced him to perform physically exhausting punishments, denied him medication, and delayed calling 911 after he collapsed.

A third defendant, Joevon McConnie, another cousin, was sentenced to three years in state prison in June 2024 after pleading guilty to Second Degree Assault.

With Mitchaux Booker’s sentencing, prosecutors say all individuals charged in connection with the teen’s death have now received prison sentences.

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