Man Who Threw 5-Year-Old Off Balcony Has Been Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison

The man pleaded guilty last month to attempted premeditated first-degree murder

Emmanuel Aranda, the man who threw a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Aranda showed little emotion and said almost nothing as he was sentenced Monday in Minneapolis.

During the sentencing, victim impact statements from the boy’s parents were read in court.

The boy’s father told Aranda , “Your act was evil and selfish. You chose to listen to the worst parts of yourself that day,” the dad said in his statement. “That is where your impact on us stops. You will take nothing more from us.”

Aranda’s mother, Becky, said her son is mentally ill and belongs in a mental hospital, not prison.

As part of his plea agreement, Aranda could be released from prison in 12 years for good behavior.

A man who threw a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minnesota faces 19 years in prison when he’s sentenced.

Emmanuel Aranda is scheduled to be sentenced Monday before Hennepin County District Judge Jeannice Reding.

The 24-year-old Minneapolis man pleaded guilty last month to attempted premeditated first-degree murder in the April 12 attack.

Aranda’s plea deal calls for prosecutors to drop an aggravated-circumstances component to the charge that could have meant an additional year in prison.

Authorities say he told investigators he went to the mall planning to kill an adult, but chose the boy instead.

The child survived head trauma and broken bones after plunging almost 40 feet.

Authorities have not released the victim’s name and say his family requested privacy.