Monolito Montoy Camon was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to malice murder for the arson firebombing death of 12-year-old Laquinta Bowens on Feb. 4, 2009.

Camon, better known as “Monty,” of Valdosta, faced a jury trial next week for the crime he committed at the age of 16. He pleaded guilty instead.

Now an adult, Camon was sentenced by Alapaha Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Dane Perkins to life in prison. District Attorney Cathy Helms, along with Senior Assistant District Attorney Al Tester, prosecuted the case. Camon was represented by Valdosta attorney Miles Hannan.

Laquinta Bowens’ family was present at the plea and sentencing. Several of them spoke movingly of the devastation they suffered as a result of this child’s death and the loss of their home and belongings.

Camon barely looked at them during the proceedings, showed no emotion, and refused to divulge information about others who may have been involved except to testify that his co-defendant, Antonio “Tom” McCutchin, 22, of Lakeland knew about the fire-bombing plan but did not participate in the making or throwing of the Molotov cocktail device.

McCutchin also entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to commit arson in the first degree and conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property in the first degree. Perkins sentenced him to 15 years, the first five years to be served in confinement. McCutchin was represented by indigent defense attorney Janice Prince.

Helms praised the professionalism of the Georgia Bureau Investigation, federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, state fire marshal, local fire departments, and the Lanier County Sheriff’s Department who worked this case, but singled out GBI Special Agent Amy Braswell and ATF Agent Shannyn Gardner, stating “this case would not have been solved without their tireless efforts interviewing scores of witnesses, tracking down evidence, and poring over voluminous text messages and phone records.”

Helms also thanked her staff for the tremendous amount of work they put into assisting her in preparing for this trial over the last month after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia unexpectedly turned the case back over to local authorities.

“Once the case returned to us, we put every resource we had into preparing for trial because we intended to get a conviction based on the evidence in the case.”

At 2:13 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009 emergency responders in Lanier County were dispatched to 807 E. Davis St. to find the home, occupied by the West family, engulfed in flames.

Glenn Allen, of the Office of Insurance, and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine said that the fire began after at least one homemade explosive, possibly a Molotov cocktail, was thrown into the living room, where Bowens slept on a couch. Five other occupants of the house were able to escape. Bowens died in the fire.

Bowens’ aunt was transported to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta for injuries sustained in the fire.

On March, 17, 2009, Camon was arrested at Valdosta High School for his involvement in an incident that claimed the life of Bowens.

Antonio “Tom” McCutchin, 20, was arrested on the same charges as Camon.

Authorities also arrested McCutchin’s mother, 36-year-old Patricia Ann McCutchin, and another 16-year-old juvenile on charges of hindering law-enforcement officers.

Former Lakeland Police Chief Robbie Grantham previously told The Times that the arson appeared to have stemmed from an ongoing argument between at least one of the suspects and someone who was staying in the house.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, neighborhood residents were trying to cope with the severity of the incident. One of them — who wished to remain anonymous — said that she tossed and turned Wednesday night trying to get the fire off her mind. She said that she would always see Bowens going to school and church but mentioned that the girl stayed in the house most of the time.

“This was a horrible crime, and that 12-year-old child did nothing to deserve it,” the neighbor said. “I hope that the offenders are brought to justice.”