Boy, 14, Charged With Murder of His Sister, 12

Murder charges were filed Monday against a 14-year-old Anaheim boy after his 12-year-old sister died earlier in the day from a gunshot wound to the head.

Gema Marie Hubler, who had been comatose since the shooting last Thursday in the upstairs bedroom of their Anaheim Shores home, died at 1:30 p.m. at UCI Medical Center in Orange after members of her family decided to remove her from a hospital life support system.

The brother, Richard Hubler, who had been arrested after the shooting, remained in custody in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Deputy Dist. Atty. Brent Romney said the youth will be tried as a juvenile. A detention hearing is scheduled for this morning in Orange County Juvenile Court to determine if he should be released to his parents pending trial.

Anaheim Police Lt. Marc Hedgpeth declined Monday to elaborate on why police sought the murder charges other than to say: “We have enough cause to file the charges, from physical evidence and statements.” Hedgpeth said Friday that detectives have discredited the brother’s original story that his sister had been shot during a break-in Thursday by “three masked men.”

Police arrested the youth when they discovered inconsistencies in his statement about the break-in and noted that he did not call for help promptly. Paramedics found the unconscious girl covered by a blanket, her head wrapped with white bandages.

Neither child had been at school the day of the shooting. Police said the boy was alone with his sister and had been firing the weapon earlier in the back yard.

Hedgpeth said gunshot residue tests of the youth’s hands were taken after the shooting and that the results should be available in several days.

According to school records and interviews with classmates of both children, Gema was a bright sixth-grader who excelled in science, while her brother, an eighth-grader, ran with rougher youths and was on the brink of dropping out.