Families frustrated with short sentences for suspects in murders of 2 teens in vape pen robbery

Families grieve again after sentencing in killing of 2 Florida teens

Families of two teens killed while trying to sell vape pens say they are reliving their loss after the sentencing of the suspects, calling the punishment unjust and painful.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Joseph Mitchel Cardella, 19, and his best friend, Logan James Thompson, also 19, were gunned down and killed in 2024.

Two suspects were arrested as minors and just received their sentences in December 2025.

'Miscarriage of justice'

The backstory:

The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said both Cardella and Thompson drove to Vero Beach in March to sell $3,000 worth of THC vape pens when they were murdered.

Authorities said two other teens showed up and started shooting at the victims in their car and then tossed the gun into the woods before taking off.

Victims' families disappointment

Jaime Mosqueda was sentenced in December to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.

Jaime Mosqueda

John Govea pleaded no contest to third-degree murder, accessory after the fact, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm after being found delinquent. He was only sentenced to four years behind bars.

"A miscarriage of justice. It was not fair," said Emily Zaner, who knew both victims and was family with Joseph.

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For the families of Joseph and Logan, who will never see them again, a sentence of only four years wasn’t justice served. They don’t understand how someone accused of murder could get such a short sentence.

"To see it kind of be a ball drop once we got to this point, it was hard. It was really hard," said Zaner, who helped raise Cardella.

She was in the Indian River County courtroom when the sentencing came down and was in shock. She’s still struggling to process what happened and worries about future cases.

"It kind of gives a green light to people to say, ‘Hey, if you’re under a certain age, and you want to do these things, go for it.’ What are you going to get? It’s nothing," said Zaner.

How the short sentence is possible

A key fact of Govea’s sentence is he was adjudicated as a youthful offender. Since he was under 18 at the time of the crime, a judge has the discretion to sentence someone that way based on how they see the facts of the case. If granted a "youthful offender" sentence, a suspect can only serve a maximum of six years.

"That’s correct. That’s why people don’t like it because the person can only get six years," said a criminal defense attorney, Geoff Golub. 

He is not affiliated with this case but explained why the sentencing was allowed.

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A judge has the choice of whether to grant someone a youthful offender sentence based on the circumstances of each case.

He says judges look at each "set of facts, different prosecutors, a different judge, has different victims."

Golub says age always plays into the criminal justice system.

"The system treats juveniles differently than adults, even when they try them as adults," said Golub.

What's next:

Golub said the only next step for the grieving families is to sue the suspects directly. There’s no way to go after the courts once a sentencing is finalized.