Teen pleads guilty in Christmas triple-murder

NEWARK, N.J. -- A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to fatally shooting three other youths on a New Jersey street on Christmas night last year.

Essex County prosecutors tell NJ.com that the 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty Monday in juvenile court in connection with the murders in Newark of 13-year-old Zainee Hailey, 15-year-old Kasson Morman and 14-year-old Abdul Frazier.

The killings led to demonstrations across the city, where residents called for new anti-gang policies and federal funding to combat Newark's rising bloodshed. The shooter, whose name was not released, now faces up to 40 years in prison.

But prosecutors say juveniles are sentenced to what is called an "indeterminate term," meaning the parole board can release the boy if and when it determines he is rehabilitated.