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WARREN -- Kelli Noble of West Farmington, whose 17-year-old daughter, Samantha, died from drugs Nysier Coleman, 21, of Warren gave her, said her daughter "had a heart of gold and always wanted to help people."
She told Judge Sarah Kovoor in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Tuesday her daughter "tried to see the best in people, and people took advantage of that. She would always give people second chances, and I know in my heart she would want us to forgive you. We just aren't there yet."
She expressed the sadness she feels by speaking some of the words she and her daughter would say to each other during happier times: "Hey, Mama, I love you." "I love you more."
"Pinky promise. Can we go around the block for another song," because she loved music, Kelli said, adding that "There are so many things we miss" now that Samantha is gone. "She would have graduated high school in 2025. But instead we got to sit in the stands and stare at an empty chair with a cap and gown."
She said Samantha's dad "will never walk her down the aisle or have his father-daughter dance. Her brother lost his best friend. They still had so much to do together in this life."
Kelli said Samantha was in her fifth week of rehab when she died. "The pill she received was pure fentanyl and morphine. That decision cost her her life, just like it was your decision to give her the pill. Sam paid the ultimate price for her decision. What should yours be?"
She said she hoped that Coleman will "make better decisions" and still has a chance to "do something with yourself."
Samantha's grandmother, Mary Oakes, wrote a letter that was read aloud for her by a victim witness advocate.
"There are no words that can express how much I miss my granddaughter," Oakes said. Samantha "had a big heart. She would listen to many of her friends' problems and try to console them. She was very protective of her close friends and family or those people who had problems. She would try to talk them through their problems to find solutions."
Abigail Iceman said she had been Samantha's best friend since kindergarten. "The night I learned that Sam had passed away was the worst night of my entire life." It brought a flood of memories "that left me restless and heartbroken," she said.
The 3-to-4-1/2-year prison sentence Coleman received was jointly recommended by the prosecution and defense. Kovoor said she understands why the parties reached an agreement on the sentence to avoid trial on the second- degree felony.
Kovoor said when she looks at this case, she sees a teenager with so much potential who lost her life but also a "young man who until that time had done quite well" or had "no juvenile record" and adult record in his relatively few years as an adult before this charge.
She said the adult probation department has indicated that they had seen Coleman at charity events at which he volunteered his time with kids. Kovoor said she hopes in prison that Coleman reflects on the terrible consequences of drugs for Samantha and for him.
She said it's "a shame because I actually find you sincere" at the times she has observed him in her courtroom. Coleman apologized to the family.
Champion police reported that officers responded around 1:30 p.m. March 27, 2024, to a home in the 400 block of Oak Hollow Drive in the township, where they found Samantha with no signs of life on the bathroom floor. In a bedroom, police found a book bag containing drug paraphernalia, pills and other signs of drug use.