ORANGE : Youth to Be Tried as Juvenile in Slaying

A 15-year-old Yorba Linda boy who shot his a mother to death after a dispute over chocolate chip cookies should be tried as a juvenile because he has no criminal record and can probably be rehabilitated at a youth facility, a judge ruled Wednesday. Danny Connolly, who was 14 at the time of his mother’s death, had faced the possibility of a life prison term if the judge moved the case to adult court under a new state law that allows teenagers as young as 14 to be tried as adults for alleged crimes. Superior Court Judge Frank Fasel said Connolly should remain in the juvenile justice system, saying the youth was “not criminally sophisticated,” has expressed remorse for his mother’s slaying and could benefit from counseling at the California Youth Authority. The ruling means that he will be out of custody by age 25. As Wednesday’s ruling was read, the youth’s father, Phil Connolly, 45, let out a huge sigh of relief, while friends and relatives wept and hugged one another.