PONTIAC, Mich. – The father and sister of a 14-year-old girl murdered in the Oxford High School shooting spoke Friday during the shooter’s sentencing hearing.
Reina St. Juliana, sister of the late Hana St. Juliana, delivered two victim impact statements from herself and on behalf of her mother on Friday, Dec. 8.
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Mother’s statement
Reina first read from her mother’s statement, which said, in part:
“Hana was the best version of me. We were similar in the things we liked and didn’t like. She loved doing fun things and making things fun for those around her.
“On the days I was not feeling good, Hana would make sure to put a drink next to my pillow, cook for the family, and not only do the dishes, but also make the kitchen super clean, just how she knew I liked it. Almost all Christmas presents were Hana’s ideas because she knew what everyone in our family liked.
“Even when Noah was little, [Hana] adored him from the start. She would make sure to stay up late and hide the elf-on-the-shelf creatively for him to find in the morning. She would practice soccer with him. She would always pay attention and take care of him. And with her older sister, they became best friends. Together, the both of them gave Noah advice to help him become a wonderful person.
“Hana was always thinking about our family, and always extended those thoughts to everyone around her, as well. She lifted all of our spirits. She was going to dress up, fall in love, go on dates, go to college, get married, take a bunch of vacations, eat a ton of good food, one day live near me and I would watch her kids ... she was always going to bring our family together.
“On that day, not only was my loving daughter’s life taken, but all of my family’s future was taken, as well. Since that day, all of our lives have drastically changed. Now, in my daily life, whenever I see a pair of sisters, I am sad. When I see other siblings getting along, I am sad. When I see other mothers and daughters, I am sad. ... Every moment, every day, every experience, I think of Hana, and I am sad.
“On that day, when my special Hana was taken from us, we fell to our lowest point, hit the darkest bottom we didn’t even know existed. To live a life without Hana, our brightest light. ... For the rest of our lives, we have to live our worst nightmare.
“Every night I wish the morning wouldn’t come. Every day, I think about how nice it would be if I could stop time and stop thinking. For us, our peaceful, happy days with Hana will never be again.
You can hear the full statement in the video up above.
Sister’s statement
Reina St. Juliana then went on to read from her own victim impact statement, which she said she had written and rewritten countless times.
“Hana is the one I went to for the little things, the big things, and all the in-betweens. Hana is my little sister, she is my other half, my favorite person. She completes me and there is not a single soul I could love more than Hana. There is not a moment that goes by that I don’t think about her. ... The empty seat at the dining table is the loudest silence I’ve ever heard,” she said.
Reina went on to describe the close bond she shared with her sister, and expressed all of the things they would miss out on together.
“Instead of speaking at her wedding, I spoke at her funeral,” Reina said.
“I do not want to live without Hana. She brought out the best in all of us, and brought out the best in me.”
Reina addressed the shooter after reading a statement from her mother and most of her own statement. She wasn’t talking to him directly.
“I am sorry that I cannot make you feel even a fraction of the world without Hana,” she said. “If I could, the shooter would be dead. The creature who left Hana lying in her own pool of blood, crying in pain, who went to go shoot her again, does not deserve to take another breath.
“His parents would never see the light of day. Oxford district employees would be fully held accountable, and we would all be working on a time machine.”
She finished by saying no justice will ever be enough, but the closest thing would be to give the shooter life without parole.
Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe thanked Reina for sharing more about who Hana was.
You can watch Reina’s full statement in the video player up above.
Father’s statement
Steve St. Juliana, father of Hana St. Juliana, spoke next, reading from a written statement, as well. He began immediately speaking about the shooter.
“The defendant envisioned, researched, planned in detail, and then proceeded to execute his plot to murder and terrorize his fellow students,” he said. “He chose this course of action and carried out these murders simply to make himself feel better. He was not acting in self defense. He did not make a mistake, nor act accidentally. He purposely murdered my daughter, Hana, and three other children in order to make himself feel better.
“I want to make my position regarding the defendant’s sentencing and his future very clear: There can be no forgiveness. There can be no rehabilitation. There is absolutely nothing that the defendant can ever do to earn my forgiveness. His age plays no part. His potential is irrelevant. Ultimately, it is only his choices and his actions that matter. Actions that have consequences; that can never be undone.”
The father went on to say that he had not wanted to share the severe effect that his daughter’s loss has had on him and his family, for fear it’s exactly what the shooter wants to hear. But after “much struggle and introspection,” he said the need for justice outweighed any consideration of the shooter’s “irrelevant desires.”
Steve then expressed how Hana’s death has affected his soul, and how no words can capture the soul that Hana had.
“Hana was an absolutely beautiful and thoughtful person,” he said. “She was incredibly curious and talented. She continually tried new things.”
The father said Hana’s potential was incalculable, and that she excelled at sports, crafts, cooking, and more. On her cellphone, the father said he found a list of potential careers his late daughter was considering, including an immunologist, pharmacist, nurse, physician, and FBI agent.
“We will never know how many souls she may have touched, nor what improvements to people’s lives her efforts may have resulted in,” the father said.
He then told the judge the he and the families of Oxford shooting victims are looking to him to impose a sentence that is “commensurate with this heinous crime.”
You can watch Steve St. Juliana’s full statement in the video player up above.
Hana St. Juliana was one of four students shot and killed at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. The shooter has been convicted of 24 charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism, and faced a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.