Pair to Be Tried as Adults in Teen’s Slaying : Courts: The youths could face life in prison if convicted. Carl Claes of Tustin was shot to death over a $2,500 stereo.

A judge ordered two youths to stand trial as adults Friday for the May slaying of a 14-year-old Tustin boy authorities said was killed over a $2,500 stereo.

The ruling means Thomas (Tommy) Miller, 16, and Jason Merritt, now 18, could face possible life terms in prison if convicted in the fatal shooting of Carl Claes in the Lemon Heights community.

Presiding Juvenile Court Judge Frank F. Fasel ruled the teen-agers are not eligible to be tried as juveniles because of the seriousness of the crime, among other reasons.

“It was clear that these two individuals warrant treatment as adults,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Carolyn Kirkwood.

Claes’ mother, Danella George, who attended the hearing with the boy’s grandfather, Dan George, called the action a victory for those seeking tougher treatment of suspected youthful offenders.

But Danella George said she and her father remained in “deep grief” over the loss.

Carl Claes, who was in the eighth grade, lived in Tustin with his grandfather. Danella George, who works for the U.S Forest Service and lives in the Northern California town of Sonora, planned to move Carl there this summer.

“We miss Carl very dearly. He should be in high school right now,” Danella George said. “He’d just be starting high school.”

Miller, who is accused of pulling the trigger, could face up to life in prison without possibility of parole, if convicted, because the murder charge against him will include special-circumstances allegations of lying in wait and killing for financial gain, Kirkwood said. As a juvenile, Miller could not receive the death penalty.

Miller’s attorney, William G. Morrissey, declined to comment on his defense strategy.

Merritt, suspected of driving the vehicle used in the slaying, could face a maximum term of 25 years to life if convicted. Merritt’s defense attorney, Bill Elliott, said outside court that the youth had no part in the shooting.

Out of seven suspects in the case, Miller and Merritt are the only juveniles being tried as adults and face much harsher possible sentences. Offenders tried as juveniles and sentenced to California Youth Authority facilities must be released by age 25.

Miller’s 15-year-old brother and two other minors face trial later this month in Juvenile Court on charges of being accessories after the fact.

Kyle Sieple, 18, of Tustin has pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and receiving stolen property. His brother, Christopher Sieple, 24, awaits arraignment on the same charges. The .22-caliber handgun that investigators believe was used in the slaying was found at the Sieples’ home.

Claes’ body was found May 17 on a dirt path about three miles from his Tustin home. He had been shot once in the head at close range after what investigators said was a dispute over his stereo system.

Dan George bought the $2,500 sound system so the boy could practice his break-dancing and disc-jockey hobbies, according to police. The youth lent the six-foot-long mobile stereo to Tommy Miller about a week before the slaying, and police say a dispute arose when Miller refused to return it.

Police allege that Miller shot Claes while Merritt, who allegedly drove away, waited. The youths then went out for fast food and later gave the gun to the Sieple brothers, authorities have said.

Miller and Merritt will be arraigned Friday in Central Municipal Court in Santa Ana.