Prosecutors may seek adult trial against girl, 16, in fatal Rock Hill robbery
South Carolina prosecutors could seek an adult trial against a 16-year-old girl facing murder in a Rock Hill fatal shooting during a botched robbery of her boyfriend.
Prosecutor Whitney Payne made the announcement Tuesday to Judge David Guyton in a hearing in York County Family Court. In South Carolina, prosecutors have to file an intent to seek adult trial within 30 days of arrest. The girl has been in an S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice jail since Feb. 20.
The notice of intent to seek an adult trial does not mean prosecutors will eventually seek the adult trial, but Tuesday’s hearing showed they can move forward if they choose. It remains unclear if the case will stay in Family Court or end up in adult court.
The girl, who is not the shooter, faces charges of murder, conspiracy and attempted armed robbery after she allegedly plotted with someone else to rob her 15-year-old boyfriend. But the boyfriend shot the man robbing him, police and prosecutors say.
Prosecutors: Girl plotted robbery for days
Za’veon Heath, 18, of Catawba, died in the Feb. 20 shooting that happened after 2 a.m. in a parking deck on Elizabeth Lane near downtown Rock Hill.
The 15-year-old boyfriend is charged as a juvenile with possession of a pistol by someone under age 18, but has not been charged in relation to Heath’s death. Police and prosecutors said in a previous hearing they believe the shooting was in self-defense, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The girl knew Heath had a gun, spent days planning the robbery of a gun from her boyfriend, and was there when the shooting happened, prosecutors say. Police found text messages on the girl’s cellphone that showed the robbery plan, and she went with the would-be robbery victim to the parking deck where the shooting happened, Payne said.
The girl was in court Tuesday with her parents . Her lawyer, Montrio Belton of Rock Hill, was served the notice of intent to possibly seek an adult trial but did not comment on it.
Belton argued previously that murder may not be the right charge because the girl is not the shooter, and she cooperated with police after the shooting.
The Herald is not identifying either person arrested because of their ages.
Potential punishment in adult court versus juvenile court
If the case stays in Family Court, any sentences for convictions, even for murder, would end at age 22. If the girl is convicted in adult court, sentences are far more severe. A conviction for murder in South Carolina carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years.
The girl and her lawyer would have the right to fight any attempt to prosecute her as an adult. A Family Court judge would have to hold hearings then order the girl be tried as an adult before she could face adult charges.
No date has been set for her next court hearing.
