10-Year-Old Boy Arraigned on Charge of Murder in Shooting of Woman

SAN DIEGO — The district attorney’s office has charged a 10-year-old boy with the murder of a 25-year-old mother of three who was shot in the head while tucking her 8-year-old son into bed Sunday night, officials said.

The boy was arraigned in Juvenile Court on suspicion of murder and shooting into an inhabited dwelling, said Carlos Armour of the district attorney’s office. “We think there’s evidence here where he can be found guilty (of murder),” Armour said.

Whether the boy will ultimately face prosecution of first-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter will be determined by a judge.

On March 24, the boy’s defense lawyer and prosecuting attorneys will meet to try to hammer out a resolution before the case goes to court. The boy is accused of killing Manuela Garcia de la Rosa, who was slain in the trailer where she lived with her husband and three children. Police said the 10-year-old boy and two male companions, ages 13 and 14, were shooting a .22-caliber Uzi-type weapon from a roof across from Garcia’s trailer.