Ricardo Portillo Update: Family of teen accused of murdering referee issues apology

(CBS/AP) SALT LAKE CITY - The family of the Utah teen who is charged with the murder of 46-year-old soccer referee Ricardo Portillo apologized to the victim's family on Friday, saying they cannot imagine how much his family misses their father.

The suspect's sister read the apology following a hearing in which her brother pleaded not guilty to a charge of homicide by assault. She choked up as she read the statement.

We "have thought of little else beyond the loss you must be feeling," she read. "We cannot imagine how much you must miss your father and we hope you can find peace."

She also said that the person described in accounts of the incident is not the brother that she knows, saying he was a kind, loving, son and brother.

Portillo's daughters sat on the opposite side of the courtroom from the suspect's family. His oldest daughter, Johana Portillo, said that it was hard to face the defendant in court.

"It was a lot of mixed emotions: I couldn't believe I met the person who took my dad's life," Johana said. "But I will just leave everything in God's hands. There is no way for me to judge him. I forgive him for what he did to my dad because that's what my dad taught me to be: a forgiving person."

At the hearing, the defendant's lawyer, Monte Sleight, requested that his client be released from detention as the case plays out in court. The judge denied the request.

The 17-year-old suspect is accused of punching Portillo in the head on April 27 after the referee called a foul on him in a soccer game.

After spending a week in a coma, Portillo died.

Prosecutors want to try the minor suspect as an adult.

Complete coverage of the Utah soccer referee case on Crimesider