A 13-year-old boy suspected of fatally shooting a 60-year-old man on a Denver RTD bus in January has been charged with first-degree murder, though prosecutors are still determining if they will seek to move the case to adult court.
Denver police allege the boy shot and killed Richard Sanchez on a bus near South Federal Boulevard and West Mississippi Avenue on the evening of Jan. 27 because Sanchez’s leg was blocking the aisle.
Sanchez was pronounced dead at a local hospital due to multiple gunshot wounds. A second person on the bus was also injured but was not taken to the hospital.
The boy was arrested on Feb. 1 and is facing 14 charges including first-degree murder, Denver District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Maro Casparian said Wednesday.
Prosecutors consider many factors when deciding whether to pursue trying a juvenile as an adult, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
Those include the circumstances of the crime, the suspect’s age, what contact they’ve had with the juvenile system, their upbringing and background, provisions of the law and the perspective of the victim or victim’s family.
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“We balance the need for punishment with the opportunity to rehabilitate the juvenile. We are now in the process of making the decision in the case of the 13-year-old,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 8.
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