Liquarry Jefferson's brother admits role in his shooting death

Jayquann McConnico today admitted he left a loaded gun in his bedroom that a 7-year-old relative used to kill his brother Liquarry last summer, the Suffolk County DA's office reports.

McConnico, himself only 16, was committed to DYS until he turns 21. He was also sentenced to four to six years in prison for manslaughter and 2 1/2 years in jail for lying to police. However, Boston Juvenile Court Judge Stephen Limon suspended those sentences for nine years.

Liquarry's mother, Lakeisha Gadson, is scheduled for trial in April on charges of involuntary manslaughter, wantonly and recklessly permitting substantial bodilty injury to a child, child endangerment, unlawful possession of a firearm, improper storage of a firearm, and misleading a police officer.

Prosecutors McConnico stored a 9-mm Norinco semi-automatic handgun with live ammunition in the unlocked top drawer of a small dresser in McConnico's bedroom at 266 Seaver St. They alleged that Liquarry routinely played in the room - and that it was this gun that the boy and his cousin were playing with when it went off around 11 p.m. on June 24, 2007.