A Pennsylvania teenager has been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his 12-year-old friend in April 2023. Nolan Grove, 15, was found guilty of third-degree murder and several other charges, including illegal possession of a firearm by a minor and four counts of reckless endangerment.
The incident occurred in the small town of Red Lion, a suburb of the York metro area. Grove, the victim Kain Heiland, and another friend had spent the day together at Grove’s house, planning to have a sleepover. Earlier in the day, Grove had retrieved a firearm from his home, which he was seen playing with on multiple occasions, according to a witness.
Surveillance footage showed Grove pointing the firearm at Heiland, with the laser sight visible on the victim’s torso. Later in the evening, an argument ensued over a scooter that one of the boys believed belonged to their unnamed friend. A witness reported that Grove threatened to shoot someone during this altercation.
Further evidence of Grove’s threatening behavior came from a screenshot of a FaceTime call, where he was seen pointing the gun at Heiland. The fatal shooting occurred later that evening, when Grove allegedly made a derogatory comment about Heiland’s mother. After Heiland told Grove to be quiet, he was shot in the back, with the bullet severing his spinal cord and striking his heart.
Following the shooting, Grove and the third friend fled the scene. The third friend informed his parents about the incident, who then contacted law enforcement. Grove also called his father after the incident.
During the trial, it was revealed that Grove had retrieved his father’s gun from a wall safe hidden behind an American flag. The jury was shown another video of Grove pointing the gun at Heiland’s face prior to the shooting. Grove admitted that removing the gun from the safe was “probably the dumbest thing I’ve done.”
The defense argued that Grove did not know the gun was loaded, but the prosecution countered that this was irrelevant. The judge instructed the jury that if they believed Grove intentionally pointed the gun at Heiland without knowing for certain that it was loaded, they could find malice. This distinction was crucial in determining whether Grove was guilty of third-degree murder or manslaughter.