The heartbroken sister of a 15-year-old special-needs teen who was tortured to death by their “executioner’’ cousintearfully told a Manhattan judge on Monday that she still longs to hear his voice.
“I’m still waiting for a phone call to hear, ‘Hey, Sis, I miss you,’” an emotional Mykarsha Rogers said in court before the judge sentenced Johnette Booker to 20 years in prison for the brutal killing.
Jallen McConnie, believed to be autistic, died in June 2021 inside a Manhattan apartment at the Wise Towers on West 94th Street and Columbus Avenue. The 43-year-old Booker, along with her brother and another male relative, subjected him to relentless abuse.
Booker Sentenced for Heinous Crime
Convicted of manslaughter, assault, and child endangerment on February 7, Booker received her sentence Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court. Despite the horrific nature of her crimes, she offered no apology. Instead, she simply told the judge, “I appreciate you, and thank you for whatever you impose.”
Jallen had previously lived in Georgia before Rogers sent him to stay with Booker in the summer of 2021. However, instead of care, he was met with brutality. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg described Booker’s twisted actions, calling her the teen’s “executioner.”
“She readily agreed to be his caretaker but instead was his executioner,” Blumberg said, urging the judge to impose the maximum 25-year sentence.
A Month of Torture
Booker’s so-called “Cousins Boot Camp” was nothing short of a nightmare. For 32 days, Jallen endured relentless abuse, including being beaten with a belt more than 50 times, forced to exercise for hours, and rarely allowed to leave the apartment.
Diagnosed with PTSD, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder, Jallen suffered continuous torment. His final beating came after he interrupted another cousin who was watching Netflix. Authorities said Booker, her 36-year-old brother Mitchaux Booker, and 42-year-old Joevon McConnie viciously assaulted the teen.
They later dragged him to the bathroom, where he was forced to ingest water from a hand-held shower head. Jallen collapsed in the bathtub, his body covered in bruises and cuts. The city’s medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by asphyxia.
Attempts to Cover Up the Crime
Booker initially claimed Jallen had taken his own life, but prosecutors argued it was another desperate attempt to hide her cruel actions.
Her attorney, Gary Sunden, requested a 10-year sentence, arguing she was unlikely to reoffend. However, Judge Cori Weston refused leniency, calling Jallen’s case “one of the saddest” she had ever seen.
Co-Defendants Face Legal Consequences
Mitchaux Booker still awaits trial on manslaughter charges. Meanwhile, Joevon McConnie pleaded guilty to assault last year and was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison.
Jallen’s sister continues to grieve his loss, forever haunted by the cruelty he endured.
