Teen Involved In Slaying Of Australian Athlete Seeks Juvenile Status
DUNCAN, Okla. (AP) — The attorneys for one of three Oklahoma teens charged in the shooting death of an Australian baseball player are asking that their client be tried as a juvenile rather than as a youthful offender.
Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, is charged with being an accessory to murder in the Aug. 16 shooting death of Christopher Lane as Lane was jogging in Duncan. The Duncan Banner reports (http://bit.ly/14DYI0T) that Jones' attorneys filed a motion Monday asking that their client be certified as a juvenile.
As a youthful offender, Jones would be tried in adult court and could face up to 90 years in prison. If convicted as a juvenile, Jones could be released from custody when he's 18.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a judge granted a motion to delay Jones' scheduled Oct. 2 preliminary hearing and rescheduled it for Nov. 6.
A gag order issued in the case prohibits attorneys and others involved from discussing the case.
Police have said that Jones and two other teenagers told investigators they were bored and decided to kill someone for the "fun of it."
An autopsy report says Lane was shot in the back with a small caliber weapon.
Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards, Jr., who turned 16 since the shooting, have been charged as adults with first-degree murder.
Luna's attorney, Jim Berry, has said that his client was not involved in the shooting. Edwards' attorney, Al Hoch, declined comment, citing the gag order.
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