A.E., a minor, and two of his friends were charged with stealing a skateboard from the victim and beating him to death. The three juveniles were standing on a balcony when they saw the victim and his friend skateboarding near their apartment complex. Glances and brief words were exchanged.
Feeling they had been slighted, the three juveniles ran downstairs and confronted the two skateboarders. The encounter quickly turned physical. One of the juveniles took the victim’s skateboard after he fell to the ground. The victim died of internal injuries. The three boys were arrested and charged with first-degree murder during the course of a robbery. After a bench trial the judge found A.E. NOT GUILTY of murder.
Instead, he found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A.E. was released after serving nine months in a juvenile camp.