LONG BEACH : 3 Teen-Agers Arraigned in Slaying of Classmate
Three Long Beach youths accused of executing a classmate for cooperating with a police investigation were arraigned Tuesday on murder charges in Long Beach Juvenile Court.
The arraignment on the same charge for a fourth suspect, 18-year-old Schuyler MacPherson, was postponed until next week.
Investigators allege that the four Polytechnic High School students beat, stabbed and strangled senior Alexander Giraldo in February after the 16-year-old admitted to police that he and one of the suspects stole a car.
Authorities have released only MacPherson’s name because the other suspects are minors. Prosecutors said, however, they will petition the court to try the two 17-year-old suspects as adults. A hearing on that matter is set for July 13. The 16-year-old suspect, who was 15 at the time of crime, will be tried as a juvenile, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. All four youths remain in custody.
Judge William R. Weisman postponed MacPherson’s arraignment in San Pedro Municipal Court to give MacPherson’s attorney time to examine police records of the investigation.
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