Man avoids death sentence in 2013 nail salon shooting that killed 10-year old

A convicted felon who admitted to killing a 10-year-old in a 2013 shooting inside the boy’s father’s nail salon in northwest Miami-Dade avoided death row and was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday.

In January, Anthawn Ragan, 31, pleaded guilty to 15 criminal counts including robbery, assault, and first-degree murder for killing Aaron Vu and attempted murder charges for shooting Vu’s father, Hai Vu, in the Nov. 22, 2013 crime.

According to records, Ragan was caught on video barging into the nail salon at 14832 Northwest 7th Avenue where he opened fire. He and another unknown suspect fled the scene.

The two victims who were struck by gunfire were taken to a nearby hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead, police said. Vu’s father survived.

Ragan shockingly decided to waive his trial in January, where jurors would have decided whether or not he was the shooter who walked into the crowded nail salon to open fire.

Penalty Hearing 

Ragan also waived a jury for the penalty phase, where usually jurors hear evidence and recommend life in prison or a death row sentence. Therefore, prosecutors presented evidence directly to Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez in a February hearing. 

At the time, Vu’s family spoke directly to the judge. 

“They had guns pointing and shouting for the money,” Hai Vu said. “He got upset and he, I guess the money wasn’t enough, wasn’t as much as he thought, and he hit me with the butt of the gun, hit me in the head.”

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The boy’s mother, Lindsay Ma, was also there that night.

“We did what he demanded, he took all the money and he took off and turned around and I heard boom boom,” she said.

Ragan’s defense attorney, Tony Moss, pressed the judge to consider his age, noting he was 18 at the time, and arguing that life in prison is an appropriate punishment.

“You do not need to impose a sentence of death in order to adequately punish Mr. Ragan for his misdeeds, or to protect the community. He will be punished, he is being punished, we will be safe,” Moss said.

A family was brought to tears in court on Monday as they faced the man who killed a 10-year-old in a 2013 shooting inside a northwest Miami-Dade nail salon.

But family members said nothing can change the heartbreak they continue to endure over the boy’s loss.

Criminal HIstory 

Last May, Ragan, who has been convicted on more than 15 criminal charges over his life, avoided the death penalty when jurors recommended he should serve life in prison for the killing of 21-year-old Luis Perez at the Motel 7 at 13445 Northwest 7th Avenue on Nov. 1, 2013.

Prosecutors said in that trial how Ragan skipped away like a child after killing Perez at the motel.

However, the jurors spared his life. Ragan was also involved in a 2013 robbery at a Royal Castle in North Miami at gunpoint around the time of the Motel and nail salon incident. 

Nail Salon Shooting Sentence

On Tuesday, Judge Tinkler Mendez emphasized she gave a lot of weight to how Ragan went on a violent crime spree in a three-week period which resulted in two murders, including the death of a child, and a robbery. 

The judge also recognized Ragan had a brain deficit, learning disabilities, and untreated ADHD, which disturbed his decision making. 

However, on Tuesday, judge ruled Ragan was a “danger to society” but believed a death sentence was not warranted for his actions. 

Ragan was sentenced to life in prison.