Greenville County prosecutors want the 12-year-old boy charged with the shooting death of his middle school classmate to stand trial as an adult. The victim, Jamari Jackson, was also only twelve when he was shot in a hallway of Tanglewood Middle School March 31st. He died at the hospital.
The accused shooter, whose name is still being withheld because of his age is being held at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. The boy could be convicted of murder in Family Court, but he would have to be released from prison after he turned 21.
The State Supreme Court says that a 12 year old may be tried in General Sessions Court. However a lengthy process of hearings on the crime and the defendant's background will be ordered. That typically takes close to a year, and the decision on whether to move the trial to would be made by the Family Court judge.