Teen Sentenced In Alexandria High School Student's Fatal Stabbing

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The off-campus killing of an Alexandria City High School student led to sentencing for a teen in Alexandria Circuit Court last week.

The defendant, Ryan Joseph Vega, now a 17-year-old, was sentenced to four years and 10 months in juvenile detention, the Washington Post reported. Vega had been tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder and murder by mob for the May 2022 killing of high school senior Luis Mejia Hernandez.

Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence for Vega in an adult prison.

The fatal stabbing happened on May 24, 2022, at a large gathering of high school students at the Bradlee Shopping Center, which has been a popular gathering spot for students near the high school. During a fight, Mejia Hernandez was stabbed in the chest and died of his injuries, prosecutors said.

After surveillance footage and cell phone footage was found as evidence, police arrested Vega. Prosecutors say footage of the incident showed Vega holding a knife. Other footage from the defendant's cell phone showed Vega stabbing Mejia Hernandez.

Vega had claimed self-defense in the fatal stabbing and told police he knew two groups of students planned to fight that day. As reported by the Post, court testimony indicated Vega and Mejia Hernandez were not involved with gangs.

Mejia Hernandez had been a senior at Alexandria City High School and died not long before graduation.