Teenager, 17, sentenced to at least 16 years in jail for killing disabled sister three years ago

A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to at least 16 years in jail for murdering his disabled sister and dumping her body near a dumpster nearly three years ago.

Claude Henderson II, 17, of Reems Creek, North Carolina pleaded guilty on September 8 in Buncombe Superior Court to the second-degree murder of his sister Kayla Dezaray Hensley.

Henderson was just 14 when he killed his sister Hensley, 18, who had cerebral palsy and was deaf, on November 11, 2017.

In this grisly murder, Hensley’s body was found near a dumpster near a Weaverville mobile home park suffering several lacerations to the neck with a canvas belt wrapped around it.

Police arrived to a mobile home park on Brinwood Drive in Weaverville around 10.42pm after an emergency call.

In interviews with officers, Henderson confessed to killing his sister.

Hensley was killed inside the family home, according to an investigation.

Deputies seized three knives, a box cutter and a belt found around Hensley’s neck.

Henderson was sentenced to 16 to 25 years in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections with credit for three years for time served since the horrific killing, according to the District Attorney’s release.

‘My heart goes out to Kayla’s mother Susan Maltry who has showed great emotional strength and grace in working with both investigators, court personnel and my office throughout this unspeakable tragedy. I wish her peace and healing,’ Buncombe District Attorney Todd Williams said in a press release.

Henderson was charged with first-degre murder at the time of the killing.

That charge required the state to prove premeditation and deliberation beyond a reasonable doubt.

But a defense-initiated forensic psychiatric evaluation questioned whether he possessed the specific intent to premeditate and deliberate the murder due to his youth and immaturity and other diagnostic factors.

If convicted he could’ve been released on parole after 25 years because he was a juvenile.

He was eventually charged with second-degree murder, which does not require that proof. 

According to Disability Memorial, Hensley worked at American Eagle where her co-workers remembered her as a ‘ray of sunshine’.  

At the time of Hensley’s death her heartbroken mother released a statement calling her a hero.

‘She was the best thing that ever happened to me and will be missed by so many,’ Susan Maltry said..

‘She is and will always be my hero. In 18 years she has [brought] me so much. Kayla was sunshine in every person she knew.

‘She has overcome many downfalls in life. She was born with CP and was told she would never walk, she walked. She was born deaf, and had cochlear implants and was able to hear. If anyone told her she couldn’t, she made sure to prove them wrong. She was an amazing girl! There’s nothing I could say to make people see how truly blessed I was to have her in my life. She was and always will be my hero,’ she said to WLOS.