12 year old Texas boy accused of murder in hit-and-run death
Dallas TX December 11th, 2022
A 12-year-old boy is accused of murder in the hit-and-run death of an 82-year-old woman in northwest Dallas last month.
The boy was detained Wednesday in connection with the crash that killed Florence Kelly a month ago.
The juvenile’s name was not released because of his age, and it is unclear whether he has an attorney.
Kelly was at a stop sign at the intersection of Royal Lane and Rosser Road the morning of Nov. 7 when a gray 2007 Toyota Avalon hit her vehicle.
A 13-year-old girl was in the Toyota, and witnesses told investigators the driver and two “young females” ran from the scene, police said.
Kelly was taken to a hospital, where she died. She had lived in the area since the 1960s, and was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother to her family, who called her “Mimi,” her granddaughter said.
Police said Wednesday that the investigation into the crash is ongoing.
How will the juvenile be treated in court?
In Texas, suspects younger than 17 are considered juveniles. Those who are 15 or 16 can be certified to stand trial as an adult, while 14-year-olds can be certified as adults only in the most serious cases.
As a result, the 12-year-old, who is being held at a juvenile detention center, will not be treated as an adult in the court system.
Unlike adults, juveniles are not given a bail amount to be released from custody. They are required to receive a detention hearing every two weeks, when a judge decides whether to keep them in custody or release them to a parent or guardian.
Adults are officially charged with felonies via a grand jury’s indictment. But juvenile cases don’t go before a grand jury; instead, the district attorney decides whether to file a document called a petition that accuses the juvenile.
A juvenile who does not stand trial as an adult may be sentenced to no more than 40 years. The sentence begins in a juvenile detention center; the juvenile may be transferred to an adult prison beginning at age 16 and before age 19 or may be released on parole.
