Man who shot and killed basketball player at Hempstead house party gets 20 years to life

The man who shot and killed Monroe University basketball player Amira McLeod has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. 

McLeod was hit by a stray bullet outside a Hempstead house party last November. 

Jacob McMillan, 18, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in June. 

McLeod's mother, coach and other loved ones appeared in court as her killer was sentenced. 

"I'm broken. All I had was her," McLeod's mother Monique Baldwin said. "In reality, I'm alone. I walk. I work. I try to be polite. I'm cold." 

Prosecutors said McMillan, a Baldwin resident, tried to enter the house party on Willow Avenue and opened fire when the party's host tried searching him before letting him in. McMillan fired three shots, hitting three people, including McLeod. She was struck in the head and died at the scene. 

McMillan begged for leniency, claiming he didn't intend to hurt anyone. His family declined comment. 

"He though nothing of bringing a gun to a party that a bunch of college student celebrating. I think Amira's team had just won a basketball game," Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly. 

McLeod was originally from Queens but studied at Monroe University in the Bronx, where she was a cherished member of its basketball team, playing a starting position. 

The courtroom was filled with anguished coaches, teammates, friends and family. 

"I hope he don't get out of jail, ever. He took my heart away from me. She was my favorite," McLeod's great-grandfather Roland Baldwin said. 

"Back home in Queens, she knew everybody. Everybody knew Amira," childhood friend Natalia Williams said.  

"No matter how hard I got on her the day before, the next day she was the first in the office to say 'good morning, coach. Did you get your coffee so you can calm down?'" Monroe University basketball coach Damel Ling said. 

Ling said their championship run after McLeod's death was dedicated to her.