Thursday, August 28, 2008
Teen Previously Held Responsible for Reckless Homicide to be Prosecuted as an Adult for Violent Shooting at Party
MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Friday that one of the teenagers held responsible in 2004 for the death of a classmate at Westside High School will be tried as an adult for allegedly shooting and injuring a victim at a party this summer.
At the request of the District Attorney’s Office, a Juvenile Court referee transferred Antonio Taylor, 17, on one count of aggravated assault. Taylor is accused of shooting and injuring Thomas Lavonder on July 27, 2007 at a party in the Frayser area. The defendant is being held at the Shelby County Jail on $100,000 bond.
Taylor is one of six juveniles held criminally responsible for the reckless homicide of Tarus Williams. Williams, 15, was killed on September 14, 2004 during a gang initiation inside a restroom at Westside High School.
It is the policy of the District Attorney’s Office to request that juveniles who are 16 or 17 years old be transferred to Criminal Court if they are charged with committing a violent crime. The D.A.’s Office also carefully reviews cases in which a juvenile under 16 is charged with committing a violent crime to determine if a request to transfer the juvenile is appropriate.
Assistant District Attorney Terre Fratesi, the D.A.’s lead prosecutor in Juvenile Court, handled the transfer hearing.
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Posted on Friday, August 24, 2007 (Archive on Friday, August 31, 2007)
Posted by jdonnals Contributed by jdonnals
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