Two teen suspects face trial dates in Columbia murder case
BALTIMORE -- A pair of teens accused of murder appeared in Howard County Circuit Court Tuesday to get their trial dates set.
A 14-year-old suspect from Anne Arundel County has a trial date set for next year, while a 17-year-old Howard High School student ran into some scheduling issues with judges.
The two are accused of shooting and killing Kendrick McLellan, 26, nearly three weeks ago. Both suspects are facing first-degree murder and a slew of other charges.
The suspects are both being charged as adults, but WJZ is choosing to not disclose their names because of their ages.
Found Dead in a Car
Days after he was reported missing from Baltimore, McLellan was found dead in a vehicle in the parking lot of a business in the 8800 block of Centre Park Drive. Police believe the shooting happened around 5 p.m. on October 9.
The 17-year-old was wearing an ankle monitor and was under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services when he was arrested at Howard High School with a loaded gun in his backpack.
His arrest sparked concerns about communication gaps with the state's Juvenile Justice system—after Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Bill Barnes said he did not learn of the teen's past violent offenses in another county until after his bail hearing.
Police believe McLellan and the two teen suspects knew each other and that they drove McLellan from a residence in Ellicott City to the location in Columbia where he was shot.
The 17-year-old was wearing an ankle monitor and was under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services when he was arrested at Howard High School with a loaded gun in his backpack.
School Communication Gaps
The 17-year-old's arrest sparked concerns about communication gaps with the state's Juvenile Justice system—after Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Bill Barnes said he did not learn of the teen's past violent offenses in another county until after his bail hearing.
It also exposed a communication gap between school districts, as it wasn't required for school districts to notify other school districts if a transferring student is convicted or accused of a violent crime.
The Maryland Board of Education voted to unanimously mandate that line of communication moving forward during a meeting last month.
Scheduling Snag in Court
Both suspects stood quietly next to their lawyers as they worked with state prosecutors and judges to schedule their trials.
The 14-year-old's trial is scheduled for March 24. After the hearing, his defense attorney, James McGuinn, didn't say much.
"I can't talk about the case right now," he told reporters outside of the courthouse.
The 17-year-old suspect still doesn't have a trial date. During his hearing, several judges couldn't find a suitable date to satisfy the state's Hicks Rule, which requires a criminal trial to be held within 180 days of a defendant's first court appearance.
The scheduling hearing was continued to next Friday with the hope of having a trial date before or by that date.
"There are numbers of reasons why you can go past [the Hicks Rule], a judge may find good cause due to court scheduling," said the 17-year-old's public defender, Joshua Speert. "We are hoping that initial trial date that is set will be before [what's required of] Hicks. However, it is up to the court resources."
The Howard County State's Attorney's Office still has time to try to get both suspects tried in one trial. It has until next Friday to motion for that.
