CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – The juvenile suspect in the deadly STEM School shooting in May appeared in court Friday, where a judge set a November hearing date to determine whether the teen will continue to face charges in adult court.
Alec McKinney, 16, is being tried as an adult and faces dozens of felonies in the shooting, including first-degree murder.
On Friday, a judge set a preliminary hearing date and a reverse-transfer hearing date for Nov. 18. After the reverse-transfer hearing, the judge will decide whether to send McKinney's case to juvenile court or continue the case in adult court.
The judge on Friday also denied three motions filed by defense attorneys aimed at limiting pre-trial publicity, closing the court to the public and sealing court records.
Records had already been suppressed by the court, so they aren't available to the public.
The defense team on Friday also started laying the groundwork for a change of venue in the case. Defense attorneys argued that the teen can’t get a fair trial in Douglas County because of the publicity surrounding the case.
Douglas County District Attorney George Brauchler said it way way too early for the defense to be arguing for a change of venue. He pointed out that the Aurora theater shooting suspect was tried in Arapahoe County, where the shooting happened.
Senior student Kendrick Castillo, 18, died in the May 7 shooting and about dozen other students were injured.
Devon Erickson, the 18-year-old suspect, is also facing dozens of felony charges, including first-degree murder.
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