Youth Can Be Tried as Adult, Judge Rules

A judge ruled Wednesday that a teenage defendant could be tried as an adult in the allegedly race-related slaying of a Latino youth at a Glendale high school, but said grand jury indictments against two other teens were improper, attorneys said.

Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler tentatively ruled that Karen Terteryan, who was 17 when he allegedly stabbed Raul Aguirre, can be tried as an adult under Proposition 21, said his defense lawyer Mark Geragos.

But Fidler said grand jury indictments against two other teenagers held in the May slaying at Hoover High are improper because of a state law that entitles juvenile defendants to preliminary hearings, Geragos said.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Proposition 21 gives them the option of seeking grand jury indictments instead.

But Fidler said that option would only apply to Terteryan, who authorities say is directly responsible for Aguirre’s death, and not to the other defendants, who played secondary roles, according to both Geragos and Deputy Dist. Atty. Darrell Mavis.

Defense lawyers said Fidler’s ruling entitles Rafael Gevorgyan, 15, and Anait Msryan, 14, to a preliminary hearing to determine if they should stand trial as adults.

“This is a big victory for us,” said Andrew Flier, the attorney for Gevorgyan.

Gevorgyan allegedly clubbed 17-year-old Aguirre in the face with a tire iron in a fight in front of Hoover High School. Msryan is accused of driving the other two to the scene.

Police said the crime was race-related. Aguirre, who is Latino, was killed as he tried to help another Latino who was in a fight with Armenian Americans, according to Glendale police.

The case is one of the first to be tried in the county under Proposition 21, the initiative that lets prosecutors choose whether teenagers should be tried as adults in serious crimes.

Mavis said he would probably appeal Fidler’s decision on Gevorgyan and Msryan. Geragos said he plans to challenge the tentative ruling on Terteryan at the next court hearing Dec. 6.