Forsyth County

Mom reacts to sentencing of bar bouncer that killed her son

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A Forsyth County mother is reacting after the sentencing of a bar bouncer for the death of her son. She's talking about the mission she is on to protect other college students.

Anger is one of the many emotions Katherine Gaddo has felt since the death of her 18-year-old son, Michael, at the hands of a bar bouncer.

"He was the type of person you wanted to be near and he loved people. People loved to be near him," Gaddo said.

In 2014, Michael was a freshman at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro when a 20-year-old bouncer beat and killed him outside a bar.

TRENDING STORIES:

That bouncer, Grant Spencer, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

"There's a lot of things that we're still very upset about. That was an avoidable crime," Gaddo said.

Since Michael's killing, his family has been on a mission to protect other college students. They successfully pushed for Michael's Law, which now requires Georgia bar employees to be at least 21 years old.

Gaddo's family is working to strengthen Michael's Law even further by requiring more training for bar bouncers, staff and owners.

Gaddo said she's not sure what's next now that Spencer's sentencing is over.

"When people ask me how many children I have, I say four. I have four children, and he will always be talked about and remembered," Gaddo said.