Sentenced: 14YO Indiana Boy Arrested In Sexual Assault & Death Of 6YO Girl

[Sugar Cookie]

The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit Saturday evening released the name of a 6-year-old girl who was reported missing Friday and later found dead, leading to the arrest of an unidentified 14-year-old boy.

Grace Ross was reported missing at 6:30 p.m. Friday. She was found two hours later in a wooded area near Chapman, the Metro Homicide Unit said in a press release.

In a press release Saturday evening from the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office, which oversees Metro Homicide, the office said the 14-year-old was not being named because he is "progressing through the juvenile system."

An autopsy for Grace is scheduled for Sunday morning.

Police arrest 14-year-old boy in death of 6-year-old girl in New Carlisle

NEW CARLISLE — The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit Saturday evening released the name of a 6-year-old girl who was reported missing Friday and later found dead, leading to

www.southbendtribune.com

 

[runninfawn]

I don't understand that if someone commits an adult crime e.i. rape, armed robery murder etc they aren't treated as adults when it comes to justice. Please don't tell me that a teen doesn't understand that dead is dead for ever and yea to kill is dif. very very wrong so is rape, armed robery ect. But if there are no serious consequences to their actions what is stopping them from repeating and repeating their actions? What are we teaching them and the next ones in line? DO WHAT EVER YOU WANT and if caught you will only get a slap on the wrist and yea nobody will ever know it was you that did those things? And when you are an adult then be sneakier and make sure you aren't caught but hey look at the justice system and well if you are caught you will, again, get a slap on the wrist..

 

[Sejanus]

Hope the little prick doesn't see 15.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[Sugar Cookie]

 

[mordecai]

Such a beautiful face, RIP angel face, you should have had your whole life

 

[Victoria]

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A SIX-year-old girl allegedly died from asphyxiation before her body was dumped in the woods as a 14-year-old boy is in custody over her tragic death.

Grace Ross' cause of death was revealed as homicide by asphyxiation in preliminary autopsy results, it was reported on Monday.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office revealed further test results from the autopsy are pending, according to CBS/Fox-affiliated television station WSBT.

The body of the six-year-old girl, from New Carlisle, Indiana, was found dead at about 8.25pm on Friday.

Her body was discovered in nearby woods less than two hours after she was reported missing by her family.

Following her death, a boy aged 14 - who was not named because he's a minor - was arrested

He is considered a prime suspect in the girl's death.

Girl, 6, found in woods ‘died from asphyxiation’ as boy, 14, in custody

A SIX-year-old girl allegedly died from asphyxiation before her body was dumped in the woods as a 14-year-old boy is in custody over her tragic death. Grace Ross’ cause of death was revealed …

www.thesun.co.uk

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The teenager sat still with his hands in his lap for the majority of the hearing. When asked if he understood what the prosecution was accusing him of, he said, “I don’t understand much of what’s going on.”
Members of Grace’s family at the hearing Monday said they would like to see the boy tried in superior court, given the allegations of sexual abuse.

https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/teen-charged-with-murder-child-molestation-in-case-involving-new-carlisle-6-year-old/article_be022ce

Today we learned brand new details about the murder of a 6-year-old girl. The 14-year-old accused of killing her was in court just a couple hours ago.

The big revelation in court this afternoon was that the 14-year-old boy is facing three charges: murder, felony murder and child molestation.
He sat mostly silent in court this afternoon, but did question the child molestation charge. That was a new revelation to many, including the victim’s family, who were visibly upset when the judge read that charge.

Grace Ross was found dead in a wooded area in New Carlisle less than two weeks ago. The 14-year-old accused of killing her was taken into custody immediately.

Her death has shocked that small community.

We did not learn many new details today because the 14-year-old's lawyer asked the court to withhold the facts of the case from the public. She said it would prejudicial against her client and because this case could move to adult court.

A competency and psychological evaluation will be performed on the boy. The prosecutor’s office says that’ll be a big part of whether or not they’ll ask that the case be moved to adult court.

14-year-old murder suspect appears in court, faces three charges

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WSBT) — Today we learned brand new details about the murder of a 6-year-old girl. The 14-year-old accused of killing her was in court just a couple hours ago. The big revelation in court this afternoon was that the 14-year-old boy is facing three charges: murder, felony murder...

wsbt.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A 14-year-old boy charged in the strangulation death of a 6-year-old northern Indiana girl told police a “shadowy man” led him to kill the girl.

The boy’s assertion is revealed in an investigative report released Friday after a judge ruled some documents and court proceedings could be made public.

The teen is accused of murder and child molesting in juvenile court in the death of Grace Ross in March.

The boy’s attorneys had argued that the high-profile nature of Grace's killing could introduce prejudice into their client's case.

The judge postponed a May 13 hearing to determine whether the boy’s case will be moved to adult court.

Teen told police 'shadowy man' led him to kill 6-year-old

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — A 14-year-old boy charged in the strangulation death of a 6-year-old northern Indiana girl told police a “shadowy man” led him to kill the girl. The boy’s assertion is revealed in an investigative report released Friday after a judge ruled some documents and court...

foxillinois.com

 

[Alf]

Nothing new, just courtroom stuff.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - We are learning new details about a teenager who allegedly molested and murdered 6-year-old Grace Ross back in March.

Today the 14-year-old was back in court.

During the hearing, 16 News Now learned the defense and prosecution are close to finishing their evaluations.

There are a couple different evaluations being prepared: one is for competency, which will help determine if the suspect is fit for trial.

“How do you address somebody who may or may not be competent? If they are not competent then right away you change procedures and you need to talk about mental health commitments and things like that. If they are deemed competent, then you proceed with either juvenile or you make a decision on waiver at that point,” said St. Joseph County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Fronk.

The other is a full psychological evaluation.

“The full psychological evaluation really informs all the rest of the decisions that flow from that,” Fronk said.

As of now, the competency hearing is set for July 16.

Link

--Al

 

[Satanica]

A shadowy man sounds like more Slender Man bullshit.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

e St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office says the suspect in the murder of 6-year-old Grace Ross was found competent to stand trial.

The suspect was 14-years-old when he allegedly killed Ross in New Carlisle.

His trial is scheduled to begin on December 9.

The suspect is facing a delinquency petition on charges that would be murder and child molestation if presented in adult court.

Teen suspect in Grace Ross’ murder found competent to stand trial

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office says the suspect in the murder of 6-year-old Grace Ross was found competent to stand trial.

abc57.com

 

[cubby]

The suspect is facing a delinquency petition on charges that would be murder and child molestation if presented in adult court.

What does that mean? A slap on the wrist and a pony for charges in an adult court would have meant prison for life?

 

[Satanica]

Unfortunately, I think that's exactly what it means.

 

[MissLynxie]

View attachment 50023

View attachment 50072

This picture absolutely breaks my heart. This little angel was so beautiful. No child should ever have to lose their life.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A 15-year-old boy accused of molesting and killing a 6-year-old girl in New Carlisle earlier this year should be tried in adult court, prosecutors say.

The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office on Monday filed a petition to have the teenager's case moved to superior court, meaning the boy could be tried as an adult and receive a harsher sentence if convicted.

St. Joseph Probate Court Magistrate Graham Polando must approve prosecutors' petition to waive the case to superior court. A hearing to decide the matter has not been set.

A release from the prosecutor's office said the decision was made "after reviewing the circumstances and evidence" in the case and after talking to the victim's family.

Proceedings against the boy had been progressing in probate, or juvenile, court since March, when he was charged with molesting and strangling Grace Ross on March 12 in the woods near New Carlisle. Court documents in the case allege the boy told police a "shadowy man" controlled him and made him strangle Ross after she had followed him into the woods.

The boy was 14 at the time of the incident.

Questions about the boy's ability to stand trial have marked proceedings until last month when prosecutors and the boy's attorneys agreed he was competent. Previous hearings to determine the teenager's competency were postponed because psychologists were delayed in conducting interviews and examinations with the boy.

Prosecutors had previously said they wanted to look over the results of psychological examinations before making a decision on waiving the boy to superior court.

Indiana law states a probate court shall waive jurisdiction to superior court in cases that would involve felonies if committed by an adult, “unless it would be in the best interests of the child and the safety and welfare of the community for the child to remain within the juvenile justice system."

The superior court system generally has more severe sentences should a defendant be convicted of a crime, as sentences, or dispositions in probate courts are often focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Hearings and records in superior court are public, while some hearings and records in probate court are confidential by law.

Verdicts in probate court trials are also decided by the presiding judge or magistrate, whereas trials in superior court are decided by juries.

Prosecutors want New Carlisle teen accused of killing 6-year-old girl moved to adult court

Magistrate Graham Polando will decided whether the boy is waived to adult court.

amp.southbendtribune.com

 

[Satanica]

Actually, his life should be terminated now before he does any more damage, but that's not going to happen, of course.

 

[GoneWest]

Actually, his life should be terminated now before he does any more damage, but that's not going to happen, of course.

Amen to that!

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A judge now set to make the final decision if the 15-year-old boy charged in the murder of six-year-old Grace Ross will be tried as an adult.

The little girl's heartbroken family telling ABC57 news they want him sent to adult court and adult prison if convicted.

A decision still lingers after the continued waiver hearing concluded Thursday afternoon with hours long testimony from doctors and the defendant's mother in a closed session.

Now it’s a waiting game with the judge set to decide if the defendant should be bumped up.

“This is a very serious case with a horrific outcome already, the nature of the offense is just awful,” said Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Fronk.

The prosecution has pushed to have the 15-year-old defendant waived up to adult court because of the nature of his crimes, that include charges of felony murder and molestation of six-year-old Grace Ross in New Carlisle.

At one point investigators even said, the teen strangled the little girl because a shadowy figure told him to do it.

“The victim being such a young child, the sexual component of the allegations, the means by which death occurred of all that exacerbates the severity, if there was such a thing of garden variety murder, this isn’t it,” added Fronk.

The defense however argued the St. Joseph County Jail doesn’t have resources to support juveniles and that he should remain at the juvenile justice center.

The defense also cited concerns about the 15-year-old’s existing mental health issues, something St. Joseph County public defender Mark James said doctors spoke to Thursday and could play a role in the judge’s decision.

“Mental health professionals in our case talked about first the best interest of our client and then have waiving the child to adult court would not be in the interest of the safety and welfare of the community, that was the basis of their testimony,” he explained.

Attorneys said the judge now is left to consider all factors, with a decision expected to be difficult on both sides of the aisle.

“Waivers are always difficult because our clients are faced with a very serious offense,” added James. “This is tough for us as defenders, tough for the kid because we’ve never experience something like this before so, it’s challenges for everybody. Not easy for the prosecutor either, these are things that you don’t want to see happen.”

Now under the law the judge does have up to three months to decide whether the juvenile will be waived up, but the officials said they expect him to hopefully get out the order by next week.

If the juvenile is waived up, the court will also have to decide if the defendant will remain at the juvenile detention center or if he will go to St. Joseph County Jail until superior (adult) court takes over.

Judge to decide if teen accused of killing six-year-old Grace Ross will be tried as an adult

A judge now set to make the final decision if the 15-year-old boy charged in the murder of six-year-old Grace Ross will be tried as an adult.

www.abc57.com

 

[Satanica]

I hope the judge isn't swayed one bit by his lawyer's arguments.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Nearly a year after 6-year-old Grace Ross was found dead, a judge ruled that Anthony Hutchens, the boy accused of molesting and killing her, will be tried as an adult.

The ruling by St. Joseph Probate Court Magistrate Graham Polando comes after recent hearings where doctors, probation officers and Hutchens' mother testified to whether he should remain in juvenile, or probate, court.

In a written order, Polando concluded several factors suggested the teen's case would best be handled in adult court. Those factors included:

• Evidence of deliberating about the crime either before or after, suggested by how remote the location of where Ross' body was found.
• Taking steps to hide evidence such as his bloody clothes.
• The time it would have taken to both molest the girl and kill her.
• The likelihood, even if small, of committing similar offenses in the futer.
• Evidence of prior efforts of the accused teen's mother to provide help and treatment for the boy's difficulties, and that the boy seems to Polando to have squandered those efforts.
• The very serious nature of the crimes alleged.
• The juvenile system's inadequacy to provide both the punishment and rehabilitation needed for someone guilty of the crimes in this case.

"If the Respondent is guilty of the offenses alleged here, he deserves more severe punishment than this Court can impose. He requires lengthier rehabilitative services than this Court can impose," Polando wrote. "This community requires more deterrence, both for the Respondent specifically and others, juveniles included, than this Court can impose. And the Respondent must be incapacitated for a longer period than this Court can impose."

Polando also ruled that Hutchens will be detained in an adult correction facility while awaiting trial, and that he will be held without the possibility of release on bail.

"If the question is simply 'Should an ASD eighth-grader be in an adult jail?' the answer is almost certainly 'no,' Polando wrote. "On the other hand, if the question is 'Should a juvenile arrestee who there is probable cause to believe molested and murdered another child be around other children?' the answer is similarly almost certainly 'no.'"

Ultimately, the ability to protect other detained children, given the nature of the alleged offenses, convinced Polando that Hutchens was best held in an adult facility.
According to police and prosecutors, Hutchens molested and killed Ross, whose body was found in a wooded area behind the New Carlisle apartment complex where they both lived, on March 12, 2021.

The boy’s mother, believing her son may have been involved in the girl's death, came forward to police after Ross' body was found.

Hutchens, who was 14 at the time, gave shifting stories when police questioned him with his mother present, according to prosecutors.

At first, he said he lost track of the girl after she followed him into the woods. He then said there was another person in the woods, and that he had been knocked unconscious before awaking next to her body. He finally said a “shadowy man” had controlled him while he strangled Grace.

Since then, proceedings were delayed as doctors and psychologists interviewed Hutchens to assess his ability to stand trial. After the teenager was deemed competent, prosecutors asked for the case to be moved to adult court due to the severity of the crimes and reports that Hutchens has a violent "mindset."

At a Feb. 23 hearing, Craig Redman, a juvenile probation supervisor, testified that Hutchens has made several disturbing comments, including references to killing and torturing people.

“I have the mind of a psychopath,” Hutchens once said, according to Redman. “Give me any object, and I will find a way to kill someone with it.”

Under questioning by the boy's attorney, Mark James, Redman acknowledged Hutchens has never committed any actual violence in the 11 months he has been detained.

During the same hearing, Hutchens' mother said he is on the autism spectrum, has ADHD and a sensory disorder and is "very immature for his age."

Judge: Teen to be tried as adult in molestation and killing of 6-year-old in New Carlisle

If teen is guilty, "he deserves more severe punishment than this Court can impose" and "lengthier rehabilitative services," judge writes.

news.yahoo.com

 

[McDanel]

Understanding for the neurodiverse goes right out the window for me in cases like this.

 

[Sevens My Charm]

The only thing that comes to my mind is put him down ..

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Judge: Teen to be tried as adult in molestation and killing of 6-year-old in New Carlisle

If teen is guilty, "he deserves more severe punishment than this Court can impose" and "lengthier rehabilitative services," judge writes.

news.yahoo.com

"If the Respondent is guilty of the offenses alleged here, he deserves more severe punishment than this Court can impose. He requires lengthier rehabilitative services than this Court can impose," Polando wrote. "This community requires more deterrence, both for the Respondent specifically and others, juveniles included, than this Court can impose. And the Respondent must be incapacitated for a longer period than this Court can impose."

Polando also ruled that Hutchens will be detained in an adult correction facility while awaiting trial, and that he will be held without the possibility of release on bail.

"If the question is simply 'Should an ASD eighth-grader be in an adult jail?' the answer is almost certainly 'no,' Polando wrote. "On the other hand, if the question is 'Should a juvenile arrestee who there is probable cause to believe molested and murdered another child be around other children?' the answer is similarly almost certainly 'no.'"

Ultimately, the ability to protect other detained children, given the nature of the alleged offenses, convinced Polando that Hutchens was best held in an adult facility.

A judge that gets it - thank you

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Adult charges have been filed against 15-year-old Anthony Hutchens, accused of murdering 6-year-old Grace Ross on March 12, 2021, according to court documents.

Hutchens has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of child molesting.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.

Adult charges filed in murder of Grace Ross

Adult charges have been filed against 15-year-old Anthony Hutchens, accused of murdering 6-year-old Grace Ross on March 12, 2021, according to court documents.

www.abc57.com

He is going to get torn apart in a grown men's prison.

 

[cubby]

Sneering little punk, he gets what he gets, he put himself there.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A 15-year-old boy accused of molesting and killing a a 6-year-old girl from New Carlisle in March 2021 intends to claim he was legally insane at the time of the offense.

The move, indicated by recent court filings, comes after Anthony Hutchens underwent competency evaluations in juvenile court. If the judge agrees to conduct an insanity evaluation, a wider range of outcomes are possible.

Competency has been a central issue in the case since prosecutors charged Anthony with the murder of Grace Ross in March 2021. Court documents in the case allege the boy told police a "shadowy man" controlled him and made him strangle Grace after she had followed him into the woods.

Anthony's case was originally filed in probate, or juvenile court, and multiple hearings were delayed so psychologists could conduct interviews with and examinations of the boy.

Eventually, the parties agreed he was competent to stand trial, though Anthony's mother testified at a later hearing that he is on the autism spectrum, has ADHD and a sensory disorder.

The case has since been moved to superior, or adult, court and the recently filed motion asks for the court to appoint two or three psychiatrists or psychologists to determine Anthony's competency to stand trial. The evaluators would also testify to their findings at trial.

Per Indiana code, trials involving an insanity defense can result in four outcomes: guilty, not guilty, not responsible by reason of insanity or guilty but mentally ill. For a jury to find a defendant not responsible by insanity, the defense must prove the person has a mental illness or disability and that the disease or disability made them unable to understand what they did was wrong.

If a defendant were to be found guilty but mentally ill, they are sentenced as normal with court mandated mental health treatment. If a defendant were to be found not responsible by reason of insanity, the judge holds an additional hearing on placement options.

Teen accused of molesting and killing New Carlisle girl, 6, intends to claim insanity

Mental competency has been at the center of Anthony Hutchens' case since it was first charged in juvenile court.

news.yahoo.com

 

[Hermy]

The only "placement" suitable for Hutchens is in a box. Nailed shut.