by The mother of the Utah boy who was killed by his stepbrother said that the boy’s stepbrother grew up in a home that stressed gun safety.
On July 15, Haegan Sagers, 17, was given a sentence of two to fifteen years in juvenile detention and prison. This was months after he killed his stepbrother Malaki Porter, 14. In September 2024, Sagers was 16 years old when he was shot. He later admitted to manslaughter after being charged with murder as an adult.
A local reporter in the courtroom said that Porter’s mother, Stormi Hass, said that both her son and stepson were taught how important it is to be safe with guns.
Hass reportedly told the court that Sagers “had no qualms about pulling the trigger and said he wanted to hurt Malaki, knowing the consequences of what guns can do to another person.”
The news station KSL said that Hass lived with Sagers’ father and Porter lived with the blended family. In court, Hass said, “I lost both of my boys that day. I didn’t just lose one child that day.” Still, she wanted Sagers to know what would happen if he did what he did.
KSL said that prosecutors did not think Porter’s death was planned ahead of time. However, they showed proof from investigators that Sagers had said he wanted to hurt or even kill Porter before the shooting death on September 22, 2024. Prosecutors said the boy, who was 16 at the time, had “a tendency toward violent problem-solving.”
When police interviewed Sagers after the shooting, his story also changed. First, Sagers told the police that Porter came at him with the gun, and it went off by accident while they were fighting. Then he said that he had taken Porter’s gun and looked at Porter’s left shoulder with the gun because he thought the younger boy was going to hurt him. He told them that he meant to hurt him, not kill him.
Sagers said in court, “If I could say anything to Malaki, it would be that I’m sorry for killing Porter and that we should have talked through our problems.” We had our fights, but he was still a great friend and the best little brother anyone could ask for. I’m truly sorry.”
