ORANGE : Teen Pleads Guilty in Death of Boy, 9

A 15-year-old Garden Grove High School student pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his 9-year-old next-door neighbor in January, officials said.

Under the plea agreement, Enrique Velasquez will spend nine months in Orange County Juvenile Hall in Orange.

Velasquez was playing with a gun belonging to his older brother on Jan. 26 when the weapon fired, striking Diego Martinez Rios in the head as he stood outside Velasquez’s bedroom window in their Anaheim neighborhood, officials said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. David Brent said the youth was negligent in playing with the weapon but did not intend to kill Rios, who was his friend. Deputy Public Defender Hector Chapparo said his client pleaded guilty out of remorse.

During the hearing Monday, Rios’ parents told Juvenile Court Judge Francisco P. Briseno of their grief at the loss of their son and their disappointment that Velasquez will spend less than a year in custody.

“I am very angry with the judge and with the lawyers. Here the laws are lies,” Guillermo Rios said after the hearing, adding that he felt defeated by the judicial process. “My opinions don’t count for anything. What am I going to gain by saying anything?”

The months without his son have been difficult for him and his wife, he said.

“Imagine,” he said, “it’s a very sad thing. It doesn’t have explanation.”

Brent said he understands the parents’ concerns, but said the incident was an unusual one. Brent said the youth was loading bullets into the gun, then unloading and “dry firing” the empty weapon. He apparently believed the weapon was empty when it was pointed at Rios, he said.

“This is a weird middle ground,” Brent said. “He was negligent and should be held responsible, but there is no evidence he intended to kill.” Brent said Velasquez will also be required to attend school and receive therapy.

Velasquez fled his home after the shooting but turned himself in several hours later. Chapparo, who said he blames the killing in part on society’s fascination with guns and violence, said he believes there is hope for the youth.

“I really think this kid can make it. He’s not a bad kid,” Chapparo said. “This has been a double tragedy.”