9-Year-Old Denies Guilt in Slaying

A 9-year-old Bellflower boy, possibly the youngest person in the county to ever face a murder charge, was arraigned Wednesday at Juvenile Court in Downey, where he denied intentionally stabbing his 11-year-old brother to death.

The boy, less than 4 feet tall and weighing about 90 pounds, had been charged with second-degree murder.

A judge scheduled an Oct. 5 pretrial hearing and an Oct. 16 trial for the boy, who is accused of killing his older brother last Saturday while their baby-sitter was away.

The 9-year-old’s lawyer, Martin Shucart, said that at the hearing the boy denied the second-degree murder charge against him. Shucart said juveniles deny or admit “petitions” rather than pleading guilty or not guilty as adults do. Most criminal proceedings against juveniles are closed to the public.

Shucart declined to answer any other questions about the case, citing the wishes of the boy’s family. But a cousin of the boy insisted Tuesday that the stabbing was an accident. And neighbors have said that the brothers got along well and were well-behaved.

The boy, who has not been identified because of his age, is in custody at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and will be evaluated by the county Probation Department, said district attorney’s spokeswoman Victoria Pipkin. The Probation Department will determine what degree of intent was involved in the stabbing and whether the 9-year-old fully comprehends the murder that he allegedly committed.

Sheriff’s detectives initially believed that the older brother accidentally fell on a steak knife as the two roughhoused Saturday. But after interviewing the boy, they took him into custody.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Doyle, who is prosecuting the case, said that after reviewing all the reports and talking to the detectives, he was convinced there was sufficient evidence to indicate the stabbing was an intentional act.

Doyle said neither he nor his supervisor, who has been handling juvenile cases for 25 years, has ever heard of a suspect this young prosecuted for murder in the county.

The maximum penalty for those under 14 convicted of murder is a sentence at the California Young Authority until they are 25.