No benefit of parole for killing Handy in drug deal gone bad

Derrick Ryan Small was sentenced Friday in state district court to life in prison without the benefit of parole for the murder of Jalen Ortelli Handy.

Small, 23, fatally shot Handy, 20, on Jan. 10, 2018, in Westlake during a drug deal gone bad.

After a five-day trial, with Charles Robinson as prosecutor and Walt Sanchez as defense attorney, Small was found guilty of first-degree murder on Feb. 5.

Family members of Handy gave emotional victim-impact statements on Friday before Small was sentenced by Judge Robert Wyatt.

Jay Handy, father of Jalen Handy, said a “thug” killed his son.

“There will be no grandkids; just memories,” he said. “Jalen was a good son and never gave me and his mom any trouble. Derrick, you never let him grow up to be a man. But you were playing a man’s game. A thug can destroy two lives and two families.”

Handy told Small that where he was headed, nothing would help him.

“Look at the hurt you inflicted,” he said, as family members and friends of Handy — three rows full — cried in the courtroom. “But I have to forgive you. If I want to see Jalen again someday, I have to forgive you.”

Hope Ortelli Handy, mother of Jalen Handy, said, “At the funeral home, I watched Jalen’s barber cut his hair for the last time and it took me back to me holding him on my lap when he got his very first haircut. Derrick, you took away our joy. Jalen was very special and he was loved by many — family, friends and co-workers.”

His mother talked of how she and her son would have long conversations about life and how they laughed a lot, too. She told the court that one time she warned her son to stay away from a particular friend and he told his mother he was going to remain friends with him because the person didn’t have anybody else.

“The only reason I have survived this year is faith,” she said. “I cherish every moment God gave me with Jalen. I’m grateful I don’t have to visit my son behind bars for taking someone’s life. I hope every time you close your eyes, you see Jalen.”

She spoke of forgiving others and said she wanted to focus on a Bible verse about forgiveness. “Derrick, I leave you with this: Luke 6:36-37.”

Raquel Morrow, Handy’s sister, said, “Jalen was a great kid. He went to work Monday-Friday and made it a priority to save his money. He would make sure that no matter what he always did things for our mom and my daughter Madi. They were everything to him.”

Morrow talked of receiving a phone call from her mother on the night of Jan. 10, 2018, informing her her brother had been shot.

“I knew it had to be a misunderstanding or that he was alright,” Morrow said. “All I can remember is driving up (to the scene of the shooting) with my mom in the passenger seat and my headlights facing my brother’s feet. I called his phone over and over with no answer and the police officer wouldn’t allow me to run over to him.”

Morrow said in that moment she went numb and has remained numb ever since.

“All I could think about was growing up we always told him about the evil in the world and the company you keep,” she said. “We grew up in a Christian household with God-fearing parents. To say that Jalen was a blessing is an understatement. On Jan. 10, 2018, I was cheated. I was cheated of our adulthood together. I haven’t gone to church since you (Small) decided to play God. You took such a beautiful soul from everyone.”

Wyatt asked Tony Fazzio, defense attorney for Small, if he had anything to say. Small, who showed no emotion throughout the day’s proceedings, said he did not.

“The family needed closure,” Wyatt said, in addressing Small and explaining why victim-impact statements are allowed. “They said they forgive you. You will never know what that means. What happened that night was inexcusable. You are sentenced to life in prison with no benefit of parole. May God have mercy on your soul.”

Derrick Ryan Small is accused in the murder of Jalen Ortelli Handy of Westlake on Jan. 10, 2018.