Stepmom sentenced in evidence-tampering case

Police say stepmom tried to cover up 15-year-old's accidental shooting death

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman accused of hiding a gun used in the death of her 15-year-old stepson has been sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation after pleading guilty to charges of tampering with and fabricating evidence.

Christy Files, 29, told police last June that two men shot her stepson, Bryan Layfield, in her back yard, and then jumped over a fence to escape. But investigators from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office later found a bloody .22-caliber rifle that was used in the boy's death hidden in Files' attic and determined that she was lying.

Police said another 15-year-old boy, who was staying at Files' house temporarily, was unloading the gun when it accidentally went off, killing Bryan (pictured). They said Files lied to cover it up and convinced her children and the boy who pulled the trigger to lie about it, too.

Files took the stand Thursday at her sentencing hearing and said she pleaded guilty to the charges only because it was in her best interest.

"I don't even know how to say this. I didn't have them fabricate a story," Files said. "My daughter wanted to come in today to tell her side of the story."

Her husband also took the stand Thursday to plead for his wife's release.

"I think she needs to be home with us," he said. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me and my son."

Prosecutors wanted Files to go to prison for two years, but in the end Judge Tatiana Salvador sentenced her to six months in county jail, followed by five years of probation. She was also sentenced to perform 100 hours of community service.

Salvador said the worst things that Files did were teach her children to lie and perpetuate stereotypes by making up a story that the two men who killed her son were black.

"What I found so egregious is that, as a parent, you would pass along the lesson, not just to get them to lie but them observing you lying to the police, to the 911 (operator), to the first responders and to the detectives," Salvador said. "That is a lesson that will take quite some time for them to unlearn. That bell has rung. They have seen their mother lie to the authorities."

Salvador recommended for her community service that Files address students at her children's schools about not lying to authority figures and about the dangers of firearms.

Files will also be required to have a mental health evaluation and follow-up visits, and her children must remain in counseling. She cannot possess a firearm in her home during her probation period, and she will be required to attend a firearm safety course and complete her GED during the probation period.

She must report back to court in early June to begin her jail sentence. 

The 15-year-old responsible for the shooting was not charged with a crime because there was no unlawful intent, and the shooting was an accident, police said.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.