A teen admitted he killed a man in downtown Pottstown. He will spend the next 15 years in custody.

Nearly a year after he gunned down a man in broad daylight, Thomas Niarhos accepted responsibility for the crime on Friday and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

Niarhos, 16, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and related crimes for killing Jeremiah Hawkins on Nov. 22 outside of the Charles W. Dickinson Transportation Center in downtown Pottstown. The negotiated plea, which prosecutors said was offered in agreement with Hawkins’ family, spared Niarhos from a trial for first-degree murder.

As part of the plea, Niarhos also admitted guilt to possession of a weapon. For that separate charge, Niarhos will remain incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility until his 21st birthday, where he will continue to receive mental health treatment.

After that, Niarhos will serve his murder sentence in state prison, according to a ruling from Montgomery County Court Judge William Carpenter.

Niarhos apologized to Hawkins’ family Friday after entering the plea, saying he regrets causing them pain.

“I know an apology will not make up for the loss of his life, but I hope my sorrow lessens the pain you feel,” he said.

Investigators said Niarhos, the son of a prominent Pottstown-area homeless advocate, repeatedly accused Hawkins, 39, of sexually assaulting his then-14-year-old girlfriend in July 2023. The girl declined to speak with police and no charges were filed.

Regardless of Niarhos’ motivation, Assistant District Attorney Lauren Marvel said after Friday’s hearing, the killing of Hawkins devastated not only his family but also an entire community.

“There’s never a homicide that anyone walks away from feeling like a winner,” Marvel said. “This is a case where we considered the very real trauma and loss of the victim’s family, and the loss of the community and we also considered the specific treatment needs of this juvenile.”

Niarhos’ attorney, Karen Thek, declined to comment after Friday’s hearing.

His father, Tom Niarhos, is the executive director of Pottstown Beacon of Hope, a nonprofit that operates an emergency shelter. Hawkins had previously experienced homelessness, but had moved into an apartment in Germantown not long before his murder, according to his family. There is no indication that the elder Niarhos knew Hawkins.

On the day of the fatal shooting, Niarhos approached Hawkins, known in the community as “Jay,” while Hawkins was walking his bike past the transportation center and began shouting at him, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Niarhos’ arrest.

Witnesses told police Niarhos accused Hawkins of sexually assaulting his girlfriend before drawing a .40-caliber Smith and Wesson semiautomatic handgun from his waistband. That gun, prosecutors said, was purchased by the teen’s father and usually kept in a locked safe in their home.

Hawkins attempted to swat the gun away with two bicycle tires he was holding, the affidavit said. Niarhos then shot Hawkins in the face, knocking him to the ground, and fired a second shot as Hawkins lay prone.

Hawkins’ sister, Samantha Burgess, testified that she and his loved ones are still grappling with his loss.

“I don’t know what to say other than I’m angry and still grieving the death of my brother,” she said. “He was taken from us by a senseless act of violence.”