Grieving mother brings 17-year-old daughter’s ashes to her killer’s sentencing in Syracuse

Syracuse, N.Y. – Angela Short walked into a Syracuse courtroom Friday holding a white marble box containing her teen daughter’s ashes.
She sat in the front row of the courtroom and waited for her daughter’s killer to be led into the courtroom.
Prosecutor Maureen Barry told the court that Short wanted her daughter to be present in court with her for the sentencing of the man who fatally shot her.
“Ms. Short felt that it was appropriate and important for Karlianne to be with us today,” Barry said.
Karlianne Short, 17, was out buying a bottle of water at a convenience store near Parkside Commons apartment complex on July 4, 2023, when she was shot in the chest just outside the store on East Fayette Street.
Malcolm Barner, 29, fired the 40-caliber handgun that killed the teen that night. In September, Barner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a sentence of 20-year to life in prison.
On Friday, Short did not address the court directly. She stood in front of the judge holding Karlianne’s ashes as the prosecutor read a poem Short wrote to express her grief. As Barry read, Short choked up. Here’s part of the poem:
Every second of the day, the darkness falls on me.
The love in my heart is at war.
I don’t fear my mortality.
Forever, you’re going to be adored.
After reading the poem, Barry told the court that while the prosecution appreciated that Barner took responsibility, his careless actions led to the loss of a young girl with a bright future.
Karlianne graduated from Henniger High School just a few months before her death. She was planning on entering a program to become a veterinarian, Barry said. She is remembered as a fierce friend with a bubbly personality, loved ones told Syracuse.com | The Post Standard.
Before the judge issued his sentence, Barner apologized to Karlianne Short’s family and said that he prayed for them.
Judge Gordon Cuffy also offered his condolences to the teen’s family for the loss of their “beautiful and wonderful” loved one.
The judge said it was clear that Barner did not intend to kill Karlianne. She was in the wrong place at a time when Barner was looking to achieve something else with violence, Cuffy said.
“I’m just hoping that one day we could resolve things without this type of violence,” Cuffy said. “One day that we don’t have to all be sitting here listening to a grieving mother talk about losing her beautiful daughter through random acts of violence.”
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at [email protected].