GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The aunt of a slain Kentwood teenager told a judge Monday that she hoped her niece's abuser and accused killer "rested in prison."
For the first time, Mujey Dumbuya's family had the chance to speak freely in court on behalf of the teenaged girl who never got the chance to testify against 43-year-old Quinn James. Police found 16-year-old Dumbuya dead in Kalamazoo earlier this year.
Read more: 'Shaking, crying, telling him to stop,' new evidence emerges on first day of Quinn James' rape trial
In October, a jury convicted James of raping her multiple times in the summer of 2017. Kent County Circuit Court Judge George Quist on Monday, Dec. 10 sentenced James to a minimum of 20 years in prison for the sexual assaults.
"There were several times when he smiled in court as if this whole thing was funny, there was no sign of remorse," Dumbuya's aunt, Jainya Sannoh said to the judge in her victim impact statement.
"You took away Mujey's confidence, her security...by raping her repeatedly," Sannoh said.
"I vividly remember when Mujey told me 'Auntie, he's not going to stop, and that's why I am speaking up'," Sannoh said as she burst into tears in the courtroom.
Sannoh said she is thankful James will remain behind bars for decades to come.
"It's not going to fix our hurting, it's not going to take our pain away. But, I think the court system did the best that they could," Sannoh said after the sentencing.
James' trial in the murder of Dumbuya will begin in February of 2019.
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Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email enicolas@wzzm13.com, Facebook or Twitter.
