Candlelight vigil planned in Winter Park to support family of boy killed in October fight

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place Friday in Winter Park to support the family of 15-year-old Roger Trindade, who died after being beaten unconscious in Central Park on Oct. 15.

A 14-year-old boy charged with witness tampering and battery in connection with the beating death pleaded no contest to the charges Thursday.

Trindade was found beaten and unconscious in Central Park in Winter Park on Oct. 15, investigators said. He was taken off life support days later.

The Winter Park Police Department received the results of an autopsy report, which concluded that Trindade’s death was “homicide as a result of blunt-force trauma.”

WATCH: 'He was a good son,' said Roger Trindade's mother

Jagger Gouda's attorney said the boy made the plea without making a deal with the state. He faces up to 30 years in prison.

"The maximum sentence you could receive is you could be committed for 30 years," a judge said. "You're entering a plea of no contest to the charge of tampering with a witness. That is a 30-year felony. You understand that?”

“Yes, ma'am," Gouda said.

Gouda was released from jail as part of the plea deal.

"We'll explain in the future why we took the actions we took today. But at this point, I'm not going to make any comments as to why certain actions were taken," Gouda’s attorney Trey Flynn said.

A judge ruled that two other teens charged with manslaughter in Trindade's death will also be released from jail before the trial.

Jesse Sutherland, 15, and Simeon Hall, 15, will be required to be under house arrest after they get out of jail.

After the hearing, Roger Trindade's family said they were looking for justice, not revenge, in his death.

"We don't want revenge. We don't want more violence. But something has to be done. This can't be like nothing happened. Like, my brother died, and nothing's going to happen?" Laura Koch said.

"Because in 10 years, 20 years, I am still going to feel this pain," Adriana Thome Trindade said. "I think this will have to be an example, and the worst thing is I'm going to pay more than these boys and these parents, for sure."

Raw: 911 calls made day of beating

Photos: Loved ones create memorial for teen

Adriana Thome Trinidade wasn't happy about the decision to release Gouda and the other two teens charged in connection with her son's death, but she said she trusted the justice system.

"I feel sad because the boys are going home, but I believe in the state attorney," she said. "She's really good and I'm going to wait for justice."

Adriana Thome Trindade testified that when her family moved to Orlando from Brazil, she thought her son would be safer, but now, “He died for nothing.”

"When he (Trindade) was on the ground and flinching, he (Sutherland) then spat on him. Afterwards, he bragged to his friend about the knockout punch," a prosecutor said in a previous hearing.

Adriana Thome Trindade told the court that the teens accused in her son’s death “need to serve an example for society,” and should be held pending trial.

“(Roger) was going to be a nice father and husband,” Adriana Thome Trindade said. “Now nothing.”

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that Hall was involved in another violent encounter involving a homeless man after the Oct. 15 incident that resulted in Trindade’s death.

Prosecutors said Hall gave police a false name after the alleged attack on the homeless man in order to avoid problems in the Trindade case.

Sutherland was later arrested in Virginia, and his there was called into question by prosecution.

“What was your intention when you moved him to Virginia to live with his mother?” prosecutors asked.

“For his safety. I was concerned for his safety. He’d been getting threats,” Sutherland’s father said.

Hall and Sutherland's trials in #RogerTrindade case are set for February 24th at 8:30am. To be tried as juveniles. #WFTV

— Field Sutton (@FSuttonWFTV) January 4, 2017

Gouda is scheduled to to be sentenced Feb. 24, ahead of Sutherland's and Hall's trials.

Cox Media Group