A 17-year-old Maricopa boy who pistol-whipped one teen and pointed a gun at another during a robbery was sentenced this morning to 2½ years in prison. The sentence came in Pinal County Superior Court, nearly a year after he was first charged as an adult in the case.

Judge Jason Holmberg sentenced Jamir Cairo-Henry Harris to the Arizona Department of Corrections on one felony count, followed by three years of supervised probation, despite the defense team’s request for probation. Harris will receive 361 days of credit for time already served in custody.

Harris, 17, was charged as an adult on Nov. 23, 2024 with armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, and aggravated robbery, all felonies, according to Pinal County Superior Court records.

“The court finds the following aggravating factors as a physical harm done to the victim, uh, with the pistol whipping and the emotional harm done to the victims, as they stated here in court,” said Holmberg, adding that he also considered Harris’ age, his acceptance of responsibility and the fact that Harris earned his GED while in custody.

“Balancing both of those, the court finds the presumptive term of two and a half years is appropriate,” said Holmberg from the Florence courtroom.

The robbery happened in Maricopa, where one teen victim was struck with the gun and another had the weapon pointed at him, according to statements made in court.

Before sentencing, Holmberg issued Harris a no-contact order barring him from contacting primary victim Joel Smith for life, warning that even third-party contact could result in new criminal charges.

Smith, speaking directly to Harris in court, said the attack left lasting emotional scars.

“I wanna start by saying I forgive what you did, but it does not mean that I forgot what you did,” said Smith. “You inflicted a lot of trauma on me, my best friend since first grade, my mother and countless other people, and they’re still dealing with that.”

He asked Holmberg to impose “the maximum amount of time on the plea,” which he understood to be three years.

Another victim, Elijah Johnson, described how the crime shattered his sense of safety in his hometown.

“Your actions have traumatized me and my best friend to the point where we do not feel safe to walk the streets alone,” Johnson said. “Maricopa is supposed to be a safe place and crimes like this remove that sense of safety from civilians like myself. What you did that day was rob my friend. After that, you continued to pistol whip him and point the gun at me. This behavior is unacceptable, your honor. With all due respect, I feel as if this punishment is a slap on the wrist.”

Defense attorney Mariam Ferguson urged the court to impose the minimum prison term allowed under the plea agreement, two years, saying Harris’ conduct in custody showed he was capable of change and that, if it were legally possible, she believed he would be a strong candidate for probation rather than prison.

Given a chance to speak, Harris apologized and told the court he is trying to turn his life around.

“First of all, I want to express my apologies once again, and I want to relay that every single day I’ve been trying to make myself a better person,” said Harris before sentencing. “I always grew up in a well-balanced childhood and my parents were always there, always there for me. And this situation … allowed me to really see that life is not to be played with. I learned that I want to be a better person every day and I will commit my life from this point forward to be a better person.”

Holmberg said probation was “not appropriate” on the prison count but ordered three years of supervised probation on another felony count to begin when Harris is released. 

If Harris violates probation, he could be sent back to prison for up to 3.75 years, Holmberg warned.

Although Harris is being tried as an adult, he is still a minor. Because of that, his mugshot and other case details are not releasable. 

As the hearing ended, there was a shouting match between family members in the audience. Judge Holmberg ordered everyone who was involved out of the courtroom.