Assistant District Attorney Rafael Vazquez described the boys familiar composure calm, poised, friendly, helpful and sincere while playing with his yo-yo around the Tannery property, high-fiving friends, talking to residents, police officers, FBI agents as investigators gathered evidence shortly after what the prosecution called a calculated attack at the complex where both lived.
That ability to keep his composure, Vazquez argued, is among the reasons A.J., now 17, should be tried for the homicide as an adult with the potential for life-long consequences.
The transfer hearing, which started Tuesday and will last up to two weeks, will determine whether A.J. is tried as a child with the chance to be rehabilitated and released or tried as an adult.