An 11-year-old girl was fatally shot inside of her family’s home after a teenage gunman targeted their residence — and now, a judge has sentenced the shooter to decades behind bars.
Re’Mori Roath was arrested and found guilty of shooting at the house in April 2024, hitting 11-year-old Kourtney Freeman with bullets in the head, chest, back and buttocks in front of her family members.
Roath, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder back in November 2025, and his sentencing hearing took place on Monday, January 26, where a judge sentenced him to serve 20 years in prison.
“Several individuals were held under siege in a home while it was being riddled with bullets,” Jackson County prosecutors said in their sentencing memorandum for Roath. “Those same people were forced to bear witness to an 11-year-old child getting shot and killed in their presence inside their home.”
The prosecutors continued, “Every time the victim’s family returns home, passes the vestibule where she died, or sees a picture where she enjoyed better times, they will be traumatized and retraumatized over and again. They will never see her smiles or her tears.”
Roath used Snapchat to arrange a meeting with an individual inside the home to buy the drugs, according to a probable cause affidavit. The affidavit added that a female at the home told police that “she was communicating with an unknown individual via Snapchat about selling them marijuana.”
“The unknown individual stated they were at the location in a white vehicle,” the affidavit said, adding that some of the family members were on the porch at the time of the incident. “The other occupants of the residence went inside … and shortly after that, someone started shooting into the residence through the front storm glass door, striking the victim who was inside.”
Residents told police that there was a “rapid succession of gunfire, followed by an approximately 9 second pause, then another single shot could be heard.”
Bullets shattered the glass storm door on the front porch and entered the inside of the home, which was when the young victim was hit.
“Pools of apparent blood were located inside the front door of the residence and in the dining room, on the front porch, down the stairs and onto the sidewalk near the street,” the affidavit stated. “Detectives observed one spent 9 mm casing on the front porch, and 11 additional spent 9 mm casings around the yard and leading up to the front porch.”
Police used surveillance footage, cellphone data, DNA evidence and witness testimony to track down Roath. A Glock 17 9 mm handgun was later found in his bedroom amid the investigation, as well as the same shell casings that were found at the murder scene.
Roath was arrested in May 2024 and was charged with murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
During his sentencing hearing, Roath told Kourtney’s family that he was sorry for the shooting. He added that the situation was a “sad circumstance” that “shouldn’t have happened like that,” according to KCTV.
