Charging Papers Of 13-Year-Old Murder Suspect Give Insight To Gang Activity In Everett

Yesterday morning Superior Court Judge Jancie Ellis conducted an arraignment of a 13-year-old boy. She asked him his full name and he gave her his first and last name. “How about your middle name?” said the judge. “I don’t know,” the boy said. “It starts with an A,” said Judge Ellis. The boy shrugged his shoulders, smiled and told the judge he didn’t know. The judge then asked him how he plead to second degree murder and being a juvenile in possession of a firearm. “Not guilty,” said the boy.

With that the judge set a preliminary hearing date for later this month and a trial date for early November. She also maintained cash bail at $100,000.00 for the 13-year-old which can only be posted by a legal guardian. Last night there was a memorial service for the 14-year-old shot to death last week behind Walden Park Apartments. The victim’s parents have asked for privacy.

Right now a lot of people are shaking their heads over how a 13-year-old can murder a 14-year-old with a gun taken away from a 12-year-old. Answers aren’t easy to come by but there is an ongoing gang problem in Everett. Sometimes it pops up in south Everett near Casino Road, other times in north Everett, then out near Center Road or 128th or off Holly Drive or 4th Avenue West or Olympic Drive. One thing in common. Many of the kids involved have been between 11 and 17 years old.

In the link below are the charging papers from the arraignment of that 13-year-old. MyEverettNews.com has redacted all of the names of the people involved but left the year of their birth so you can get a sense of just how young these kids are. Hopefully the papers will also offer some things to look for in your child, their friends or the kids in your neighborhood if you are concerned about their activity. Prior to the shooting there were many times the shooter was seen with a gun but nobody told an adult or other responsible person. There were many signs of gang involvement from color of clothes to affiliations. Hopefully if more people are aware of these signs more adults can intervene, take an interest and find a way to stop kids from killing each other. Here are the charging papers from Tuesday’s arraignment.

Walden Pond Shooting Charging Docs

Everett Police say there are specific things you can look for regarding gang activity.

Tips for parents to help identify if their student has possible gang relations:
◊ Parents notice any graffiti in their children’s rooms or on school notebooks
◊ Admits to “hanging out” with kids in gangs, but denies membership
◊ Purchases or wears a specific color of clothing or must wear a specific logo
◊ Possess or talk about needing a weapon
◊ Begins exhibiting negative behaviors like withdrawing from family members or activities and declining school performance and attendance

With regard to last week’s shooting Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman issued the following statement to MyEverettNews.com…

“Violence like this in our community is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. The Everett Police Department remains committed to providing for a safe and inviting community for all of our residents. I want to assure our public that when we experience senseless violence like we saw last week, our department will dedicate all available resources to investigating these crimes and holding those responsible accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Editor’s note: This isn’t some reality show or far away issue. Kids 11, 12 and 13 are getting guns and shooting each other in Everett. Hopefully more awareness and intervention in kids lives can help stem this horrible trend. – LD