YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania teenager has been sentenced to spend up to three decades in prison after a jury found him guilty of fatally shooting his 12-year-old friend during what was supposed to be a sleepover.
Fifteen-year-old Nolan Grove was convicted in June of third-degree murder, as well as illegal gun possession by a minor, carrying a firearm without a license, and four counts of reckless endangerment, for the April 2023 killing of Kain Heiland in Red Lion.
On Thursday, York County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Maria Musti Cook sentenced Grove to 15–30 years for the murder, plus an additional 1–2 years for gun possession, to be served consecutively. He also received five years of probation. The court credited him with 562 days already spent in detention.
The Fatal Sleepover
Grove, Kain, and another friend spent April 1, 2023, together at Grove’s home, planning a sleepover. At some point, Grove retrieved his father’s Kel-Tec .380 semi-automatic pistol from a wall safe and began playing with it. Witnesses later testified that he repeatedly loaded and unloaded the gun, switched on its laser sight, and pointed it at others throughout the day.
Surveillance video showed Grove pointing the gun at Kain, the red laser dot visible on his torso. In another instance, a FaceTime caller captured an image of Grove aiming the weapon at Kain.
Later that evening, after an exchange of “yo mama” jokes, Kain told Grove to be quiet. Grove allegedly responded, “You know what happens,” before shooting his friend once in the back. The bullet severed Kain’s spinal cord and pierced his heart, killing him within seconds.
Aftermath and Arrest
The third friend fled the scene, with Grove following close behind. Grove phoned his father, while the witness’s parents alerted police. When questioned, Grove claimed he was inside when the gun went off, but investigators noted he had changed clothes and washed his hands.
During trial, Grove admitted taking the gun was “probably the dumbest thing I’ve done.” His defense argued he didn’t know the gun was loaded, but the judge told jurors that intent to point the weapon — regardless of certainty about ammunition — was enough to establish malice under Pennsylvania law.
Rare Legal Charge
Pennsylvania is one of only three U.S. jurisdictions that still prosecutes third-degree murder, defined as a killing with malice but without premeditation. That distinction ultimately sent Grove to prison for decades rather than years.
