ABOUT “Everyone loved Manny”: Mother remembers student stabbed to death in Northeast High School The suspect is a 14-year-old, so the case is currently pending in Jackson County Family Court. The next step in the process would be his first appearance and then wait to see if the prosecution would want to try him as an adult. The prosecutor will have to file a lawsuit, a hearing will be scheduled and the judge will make that decision. “I would be surprised if he was not certified as an adult,” said defense attorney John Piserno. Picerno says that usually in first-degree murder cases, even minors can wait to be tried as adults. Punishment for crimes can vary considerably depending on whether a suspect has been certified as a child or an adult in court. “When the child is 14, 13 and 12, it’s a little different story. “But when they reach the age of adulthood, then it is easier to call and they almost always get certified,” Picerno said. “They have to do with the age of the minor, the complexity of the minor, the type of crime allegedly committed, with educational, mental health issues, all these kinds.” In Missouri, adults over the age of 18 automatically live without suspension or probation if convicted of first-degree murder. But in the case of minors, three things can happen:
Imprisonment 30 to 40 years A physical life sentence set at 30 years in Missouri Life imprisonment without suspension or suspension
“If the prosecutor wants to try to spend the rest of your life in prison without suspension or suspension, he has to file a notice of intent in court,” Piserno said. “This must be submitted within 120 days of its filing.” The judge could also grant what is known as “dual jurisdiction” if the suspect is tried in a district court. In this case, the suspect will serve part of the sentence in a juvenile detention center and then serve the rest in jail. Picerno expects the first appearance to take place within the next two weeks. The prosecution will then announce its intention to try the suspect as an adult or as a child and then the judge will set a date for certification. If the judge decides to go ahead with certifying the suspect as a minor, then he will remain in the family court and they can keep him up to 19 years old. Then, the Department of Youth Services will have to apply to keep him until he is 21, if they want to keep him longer.
