‘Our Son Would Have Never Done This’: Family Devastated After Son’s Killer Sentenced To Five Years Behind Bars

The family of 18-year-old Braeden Collins is devastated after a federal judge sentences the man convicted of his death to five years in prison.

Kiah Pritchett took a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter and having a gun as a felon.

Collins’s family says they are upset the plea deal was on the table.

Dozens of people showed up at court Monday, calling for Pritchett to spend more time in prison.

Many of them were wearing shirts with slogans like “Justice for Brae” and “Murder isn’t involuntary.”

The family of Collins says they thought the charge against Pritchett should have been murder.

A federal judge sentenced Pritchett to 5 years and three months in prison for involuntary manslaughter and for having a gun as a felon. Those sentences will run at the same time as part of a plea deal.

Prosecutors say he admitted to shooting and killing Braeden Collins in Tahlequah on July 4th, 2021, then burning his body afterward.

Collins crashed near where Pritchett was staying at the time.

Investigators say Pritchett then had offered Collins a ride to the store when Pritchett says the two got into an argument.

That’s when he says he shot Collins in the back of the head, killing him.

His mother is frustrated Pritchett was only charged with manslaughter.

"In Kiah's statement, he stated he waited until there was space between them and Braeden was exiting the vehicle, and then he shot him,” said Jenny Bump, Collins’s mother. “That's his statement. But he got involuntary manslaughter."

In her victim impact statement, Bump says her love for Collins will never die, and she can’t wait to see her son again.

She says she won’t stop fighting to get justice for him.

"I'm glad he knows I'll never forgive him,” said Bump. “I'm glad he knows that. I don't think he cares; I'm just glad he knows. Because I promise you, I'm going to see to it that he never steps out free."

His father said in his statement that coaching and watching his son play baseball were some of the best years of his life.

He’s heartbroken he will never see his son grow up.

"I asked him to at least send him to prison as far away from his family as possible so he would not be able to see his child,” said Jonathan Collins, Braeden Collins’s father. “Or not easily, or often. But he couldn't even do that for us. He's going to El Reno. So it is completely doable for him to see his child, but not us."

He says he wishes the roles were reversed.

"Our son would have never done this,” said Jonathan Collins. “Although I wish it was the other way around, and we could visit our son."

Pritchett did tell the family during his statement that he was sorry for what he did and that no apology would take away the harm he caused them.