Sylmar : Teen Arraigned in Girl’s Slaying
The 17-year-old boy arrested in the slaying of Melinda “Mindy” Carmody was arraigned on a murder charge Thursday.
Police arrested the teenager Tuesday during a raid at his Northridge apartment. He remained in police custody after his arraignment in Sylmar juvenile court. He still faces a fitness hearing next month to determine whether there is sufficient cause to try him as an adult, officials said.
The teen’s brother, Juan Manuel Lopez Hernandez, 23, is being held on charges that he assaulted and then kidnapped 16-year-old Carmody on March 13. Carmody had ended their relationship shortly before she was killed.
Before being shot to death a week ago outside a Northridge apartment building, Carmody had testified against Hernandez at a preliminary hearing. She said she feared for her life if Hernandez went free.
Prosecutors hope their evidence can show that Carmody’s slaying was very likely a retaliation for her testimony against the suspect’s brother.
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