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As the teens responsible for the November death of West Valley City police officer Cody Brotherson admitted to charges Wednesday, the slain officer's family said they'll work to strengthen Utah's laws to bring harsher penalties to those who kill police officers.

Brotherson was killed Nov. 6, when he was struck by a stolen vehicle — in which three teens were riding — while laying down a set of spike strips.

The three teenagers were each charged with first-degree felony murder for Brotherson's death, along with car theft, failure to stop for police and other crimes. On Wednesday, each boy resolved his case by admitting to lesser charges.

A now-16-year-old boy admitted to second-degree felony count of murder for "recklessly" causing Brotherson's death. Though one of the boys told police that this teen was driving the car that struck the officer, he did not admit to that in court Wednesday. His attorney told the judge that he was admitting to the crime as a party with others.

A 14-year-old boy admitted to second-degree felony manslaughter, telling the judge that he was in the backseat of the car when Brotherson was hit. Prosecutors, however, said that teen encouraged the driver to accelerate and lead police on a chase.

The third teen, a 15-year-old boy who is the brother of the youngest boy, did not admit to any charges directly related to Brotherson's death. This boy told investigators that he told the driver to stop the car, but the driver did not.

All three boys are scheduled to be sentenced July 10. Because their cases were filed in juvenile court, the maximum penalty they can face is a stay at a juvenile secure care facility until age 21.

But for Brotherson's family, the penalties the young boys face doesn't fit what was taken from them.

"I don't think there will ever be justice," father Jeff Brotherson said after the hearing. "They took his life for no reason."

The prosecutors did the best they could, mother Jenny Brotherson said, with Utah's juvenile court laws — but she says her family wants the laws changed to bring tougher penalties for juveniles who kill an officer while committing a crime.

"As we've watched these three in court over the last eight months, there is very little remorse," she said. "Very little accountability. And I think that maybe in the adult system, there would have been a little more concern on their part."

Jenny Brotherson said that while the family is relieved they won't have to hear gruesome details of the 25-year-old officer's death in a trial, the outcome is "still terrible."

Now, she said her family will prepare for the teens' sentencings and will work to make sure that no one will ever forget her son. That includes working with lawmakers to make changes.

"All these people we've met in the last eight months said they would help us," she said. "Well, now we're going to put them to the test."

Prosecutors did not attempt to certify the three boys to adult court. The Tribune generally does not identify juvenile defendants unless their cases have been moved to adult court.

On the day of the fatal crash, a chase began just after 3 a.m., after police officers saw a silver BMW coupe with Florida plates that had stopped in the middle of an intersection.

They saw three people walk from the BMW to an apartment complex and watched the trio get into a Honda Accord and drive away, according to court records.

The officers tried to stop that vehicle, but the driver punched it on 4100 South, heading west. Officers threw down spike strips near Redwood Road, but that didn't stop the suspects.

Another police officer told investigators that he could see Brotherson outside his vehicle near 2200 West, trying to put down another set of tire spikes.

"[The officer] observed the Honda Accord swerve towards [Brotherson] and strike him with the vehicle," a detective wrote in a search warrant affidavit. "[The officer] stopped to check on the officer that had been struck. He found Officer Brotherson was down and appeared to be deceased from the impact."

After the crash, two of the boys initially told police that they had offered an unknown man $5 to give them a ride, a detective wrote in the search warrant affidavit, and that this unknown person was driving the vehicle during the police chase. They later admitted that the story was made up.

The three teens also admitted to a number of other charges Wednesday, including car theft, failure to stop at the command of police and possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor. They also admitted to charges in connection with a vehicle that was stolen two days before Brotherson's death, along with charges connected to a gang-related fight that day. One teen admitted to counts filed in connection with two fights he was a part of while he has been held at the juvenile detention facility.