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Man convicted of killing child molester at 14 years old to be resentenced

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The mother of convicted killer Mark Berrios is begging a judge to release her son.

Berrios was convicted and sentenced as a juvenile in 1995 to life in prison for killing a suspected pedophile when he was 14 years old.

He shot and killed Olen Hepler, and stole his truck and $800.

But Berrios' family said there is much more to his story.

His mother Margaret Loring told Action News Jax Berrios ran away from a 30-day juvenile program in Daytona Beach when he was 14.

She said he was a good kid but got into mischief.

Loring said she never thought that mischief would lead to involvement with an abusive man.

Loring said Hepler was a pedophile who preyed on troubled boys.

She said her son felt there was no way out.

“My son grabbed the molester's gun and shot him," she said.

Berrios was later arrested in Jacksonville.

According to newspaper reports at the time, evidence of Hepler’s pedophilia was not allowed to be admitted during Berrio's trial.

A recent Supreme Court ruling give Berrios a shot at freedom.

It says juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole, meaning Berrios has a shot at freedom.

On Monday, Berrios will be resentenced in Volusia County court.

The judge has received a half-dozen letters of support and expert testimony from a man who says he endured the same abuse.

“I try not to cry on the phone with him, make him think everything is good, keep his spirits up, but I cry inside,” Loring said of conversations with her son.

Loring said she hopes for a chance to pick up where they left off.

“There is no life for me with my son in prison,” she said.

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