Man who killed 10-year-old boy during 2013 Miami-Dade nail salon robbery sentenced to life in prison avoiding death penalty

The man who shot and killed a 10-year-old boy during a robbery at a Miami-Dade nail salon in 2013 will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Anthawn Ragan, 31, avoided the death penalty, and both the father of 10-year-old Aaron Vu and Ragan's attorney said they were satisfied with the sentence.

Aaron's father, Hai Vu, was also injured in the deadly armed robbery.

Ragan, who has already been sentenced for an execution-style killing, also in 2013, was 18-year-old at the time of the crime. The judge acknowledged his cognitive disability, stating he has ADHD and other neurological disabilities that limits his decision-making skills.

She said that mentally, Ragan was operating like a 14-year-old. 

But the judge was very firm when she said in court during the sentencing on Tuesday that he was a danger to society but felt that his intent while carrying out the crime did not rise to the level in which the death penalty was the proper punishment.

"He's committed serious crimes, and now he's going to have to face the judicial system and pay for the crimes he's committed," Hai Vu said on Tuesday. "It doesn't have to necessarily have to be death. So, as long as he's not ever out in public to hurt another innocent person, that's the main thing.

Hai Vu and his wife said that, despite everything, they do forgive Ragan for the crime that he committed.