Update in Murder Case Near Fall City

On Oct. 24, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges against the 15-year-old arrested near Fall City for the murders and attempted murder of his immediate family members. He is charged with:

• Five counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree
• One count of Attempted Murder in the First Degree
• The attempted murder charge has a firearm enhancement
• The charges were amended on Oct. 25 to include a domestic violence designation on two of the counts — the two where state law allows those designations.

The 15-year-old remains in secure detention at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center. That is a facility for juveniles, separate from the adult population.

In Washington State, anytime a 15-year-old is charged with aggravated first-degree murder, that’s initially filed in juvenile court. However, prosecutors can ask a judge to move the case to adult court, although that is not the same as saying a 15-year-old is being tried as an adult because state law has different sentencing guidelines for juveniles in adult court.

A case can only be moved to adult court with a judge’s approval after hearing from prosecutors and defense. Based on the details in the charging documents, prosecutors are asking a judge for a hearing at which time both parties will present evidence and the judge will make the determination if the 15-year-old will be moved to adult court.

Does that mean this 15-year-old could be held for life?

The sentence set by state lawmakers is 25 years to life with a presumption of release after 25 years. The state’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board makes the release determination.

Would this 15-year-old be held in an adult prison with adult offenders?

No, not as a juvenile. It is possible he could be held by the state’s Juvenile Rehabilitation until age 25 and then transferred to the Department of Corrections, which handles adults.

Why are prosecutors asking a judge to move this case to adult court?

The case is being charged as five counts of aggravated premeditated murder and one count of attempted premeditated murder, with domestic violence designations on the two counts where that is possible and a firearm enhancement on the attempted murder charge.

If it remains in juvenile court, the 15-year-old could only be held until age 25 — less than 10 years from now — with no further sanctions. If convicted as charged in adult court, the teen would be sentenced to 25 years to life with a statutory presumption of release after 25 years.

Is this guaranteed to go to adult court because prosecutors asked for it?

No. That decision is ultimately up to a judge after hearing from prosecutors and defense and reviewing the evidence in a court hearing on the question of declining juvenile jurisdiction (RCW 13.40.110).

The respondent is innocent until proven guilty in court.

This post is not expected to be updated.