Judge decides Hialeah 13-year-old accused of fatally stabbing his mother will remain in adult lock up
MIAMI - A hearing was held Thursday for a Hialeah teen accused of murdering her mother to determine where he will remain locked up as his case moves forward.
The 13-year-old, who is facing a murder charge as an adult, has pleaded not guilty. He will not be facing the death penalty.
During the teen's arraignment, the judge said he didn't have enough information to decide whether to move him from the Metro West Detention Center in Miami to the county's juvenile detention center.
On Thursday, the teen's lawyer argued that he should not remain in the adult facility but be moved to juvenile detention and tried there before all his rights are lost.
The prosecutor maintained that since he is charged as an adult, he should be treated accordingly. He said there currently 32 juveniles currently housed at Metro West and the county's corrections department is in full compliance with the law. There is no adult contact with the minors, they have adult supervision and are housed in cells by themselves at night.
The judge ultimately sided with the state and said the teen would remain in the adult facility for now.
The murder happened the night of October 12th.
Around 11:30 p.m., officers were sent to an apartment in the 200 block of West 79th Place after 911 received a call from the 13-year-old who said he had just killed his mother.
CBS News Miami is not identifying the teen due to his age.
When officers arrived, they found the body of 39-year-old Irina Garcia in her bedroom. It was lying next to a crib with her 14-day-old infant inside. The baby was not harmed. Police said Garcia had been stabbed multiple times.
Police said they had not been called to the home before and the teen has no known prior mental health issues.
Letters and statements by relatives who were present at his last hearing describe him as a loving boy. According to police, the teen has expressed that he wanted to kill himself.
