Lawyer For Family of Slain NJ Girl Says They Are Grieving, Awaiting Word on Teen Suspects
By David Madden
WOODBURY, N.J. (CBS) -- Two teenagers charged with the murder of a 12-year-old Clayton, NJ girl remain behind bars today, pending another juvenile detention hearing next month.
There was a brief, closed-door hearing today in Family Court in Woodbury. Only immediate family of the 15- and 17-year-old suspects and of victim Autumn Pasquale got in, her father clutching her favorite teddy bear.
When it was finished, the suspects were transported back to jail and it was left to Jaime Kaigh, an attorney hired by the victim's parents (top photo), to request privacy as they get ready to bury their daughter.
As for seeing Autumn's alleged killers in court, "I've cautioned them to try and be as reserved as they can be, and give these juveniles accused the same rights everybody else has," Kaigh told reporters. "So I think they're tempering their feelings with their respect for the judicial system."
The Gloucester County prosecutor's office is still weighing a possible waiver of this case to adult court. For his part, Kaigh points to his years as a former prosecutor to suggest that it's not a question of if but when that will happen.
