Boy in School Slaying to Undergo Tests

A 15-year-old Los Angeles boy convicted of accidentally shooting and killing a classmate at Fairfax High School was ordered Thursday to undergo a 90-day psychological evaluation to determine if he is suitable for confinement to the California Youth Authority.

San Fernando Valley Juvenile Court Judge Morton Rochman said he was not prepared to make a final decision on sentencing until it could be determined if the state facility could provide psychological treatment and educational training that the boy needs.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lori Aiu had argued that the boy--whose name is being withheld because of his age--should be confined to the youth authority facility for up to nine years, as had been recommended by the Probation Department.

But the boy’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Peter Swarth, had sought to have the teen-ager put on probation and placed in a home in Riverside County where the boy could get psychological counseling at a school.

In ordering the boy to be temporarily incarcerated for evaluation, Rochman said the teen-ager has to take responsibility for the death of another child, even if it was an accident.

The boy was convicted in June of involuntary manslaughter for the Jan. 21 death of 16-year-old Demetrius Rice. The boy said he had taken the gun to school because he had been chased by gang members the day before. He told police he had been playing with the gun in his backpack when it accidentally fired, wounding another student and killing Rice.