LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The grandfather of a 17-year-old Lake County girl accused of trying to hire someone to kill her parents is speaking out.
Investigators said Alyssa Hatcher stole money from her parents and paid one person $400 and another $900 to kill her parents, but that never happened.
Tim Hatcher said he believes his granddaughter is where she should be, behind bars for what she did but she shouldn’t be the only one serving time.
"Two weeks ago, we visited with her and talked with her and she is doing OK, and she is doing good. She’s just overwhelmed, you know, she is only 17,” Tim Hatcher said.
Last year, Alyssa Hatcher was arrested after investigators say she tried to hire someone to kill her parents. She is now serving time at a juvenile detention facility.
Read: Lake County teen uses parents’ money to hire people to kill them, deputies say
Tim Hatcher believes she needs to pay for what she did, but he doesn’t understand why she is alone.
“She is the only one that has went down on this. Nobody else has,” said Tim Hatcher.
Officials said investigators looked closely at Alyssa Hatcher’s friends, but right now, there isn’t enough evidence to prove they did anything other than take the money.
Tim Hatcher said Alyssa Hatcher’s drug use and hanging out with the wrong crowd has led her down a dark path.
"Her parents, my wife, myself, we were constantly giving her advice. Telling her, ‘Hey, you need to turn your life around, you need to get away from these people. You got a future ahead, you’re going to be a senior in high school, you're looking at college,’" said Tim Hatcher.
Tim Hatcher is now hoping Alyssa Hatcher’s time behind bars will steer her back onto the right path.
"I hope she knows that her criminal activity aren’t going to get here anywhere in life. Hanging around with the wrong people won’t either,” said Tim Hatcher.
Channel 9 asked the State Attorney’s Office about the alleged co-conspirators and if they could be charged.
The State Attorney’s Office said if any new evidence comes to light, they will review it to decide if the alleged co-conspirators should face charges.