The 15-year-old boy charged with murdering a mother and daughter in an apartment fire years ago was finally sentenced last week.

Jefferson County District Judge Lindsay VanGilder sentenced the juvenile to a maximum sentence of seven years in the Colorado Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services (DYS) on Jan. 29, ending a lengthy case that stretched back to 2022, according to a press release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

The juvenile, who was not publicly named, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of being an aggravated juvenile offender, attempted murder and arson.

Initially, the boy faced more than 100 charges in connection to the double-fatal fire that occurred on Oct. 31, 2022, including 39 counts of attempted murder.

First responders were called to the Tiffany Square Apartments at 953 Sheridan Boulevard in the early morning due to a fire engulfing the building.

Overall, 10 residents were injured and all of the residents of the 32-unit complex were displaced, the district attorney’s office said.

The Lakewood Police Department and West Metro Fire Protection District’s investigation turned criminal when the bodies of 31-year-old Kathleen Payton and her 10-year-old daughter, Jazmine Payton-Aguayo, were later found inside one of the units.

“Katie was always helping her neighbor giving her diapers when she needed them,” Rochelle Vigil Valdez, Payton’s aunt and Jazmine’s great aunt, told The Denver Gazette in 2022. “Jazmine had just started 5th grade. She just the sweetest little girl. She was into unicorns. She had so many toys it was ridiculous.”

The two suspects — 14 and 12 years old at the time — were at a friend’s apartment when they were asked to leave. They later returned to the complex around 4 a.m. and set fire to bushes outside.

The fire quickly rose up the wooden walkway, eventually enveloping the entire building. The two suspects then fled and took nearby public transit.

Lakewood police identified the suspects through security camera footage and arrested them the next day.

The other defendant, now 17, pleaded guilty to the same charges and received the same sentence in November 2023.

“While nothing can restore the lives lost, the homes destroyed, or the sense of safety that was shattered, we hope this outcome provides a sense of closure and allows everyone involved to finally begin the long process of healing,” Deputy District Attorney Riley Gonya said in the release.

“We will never stop grieving the loss of our beloved girls, Katie and Jazzy,” the Payton family said in a statement at the hearing.