3 charged in death of Del. girl after high school fight

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Three teenage girls have been charged in connection with the death of another girl after a fight in a high school bathroom.

One student has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and two other students were charged with third-degree criminal conspiracy for allegedly helping to plan the deadly April 21 attack on Amy Joyner-Francis, according to a statement released by the Delaware Department of Justice.

Officials plan to ask a family court to have the suspect charged with criminally negligent homicide, who authorities say is the only one to have hit the 16-year-old girl during the assault, tried as an adult. She faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

The two other girls will be tried as juveniles and face up to one year of incarceration.

Officials also revealed Monday that Joyner-Francis died from a "cardiac incident" related to a pre-existing heart condition. She had an atrial septal defect, which is a hole in the heart.

"In layman's terms, the Medical Examiner determined that Amy died from a cardiac incident that she was vulnerable to because of a pre-existing heart condition, but the cardiac incident would not have occurred if she had not been assaulted," according to the statement.

"The individuals responsible for Amy Joyner-Francis's death are minors, but they must be held accountable for their actions," the Delaware Department of Justice said in its statement, which noted that officials met with Joyner-Francis' mother and brother Monday to discuss the charges filed.

It is not clear if the defendants have obtained attorneys or when they will next appear in court.