Court finds probable cause to move forward with case against teen boy accused of murder

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - On Monday, a court found probable cause to prosecute a teenage boy accused of murdering a 13-year-old Henrico County girl in March.

Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor said the Commonwealth presented evidence before a judge, who determined that the case will to trial.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth has submitted papers to charge the suspect as an adult, and a hearing is set for Nov. 22.

“It is a request by the Commonwealth, but it is a finding to be determined by the Court,” Taylor said. “There are numerous factors to be taken into consideration.”

According to Taylor, there are numerous factors the Court takes into consideration when overseeing a transfer charge.

“Primarily whether or not the juvenile justice system, which has a hard end at the age of 21, is sufficient,” Taylor said. “Whether or not there are resources in the juvenile court, for someone 14 or 15 years of age, of whether the juvenile court system with the six to seven years of services can be offered to an individual.”

However, Taylor added, when a juvenile is being considered for an adult court system, that does not automatically mean the Department of Corrections.

“We do look at the public safety aspect of things, and we do want to make sure we are respecting the loss of life and respecting what options are available for someone of the age of 14 or 15 and what the community thinks is appropriate,” she said.

Meanwhile, Taylor said charges against the gun owner are forthcoming.

On Friday, March 26, around 4:30 p.m., Henrico police were called to the 1900 block of Hickoryridge Road for the report of a shooting. There they found a teenage girl shot outside a home. She was taken to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

With permission from the family, Henrico County Public Schools identified the victim as Lucia Bremer, an eighth-grader at Quioccasin Middle School.

Police arrested a 14-year-old boy nearly 24 hours after Bremer was shot in the Gayton Forest West neighborhood off Pump Road.

The boy was charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a juvenile and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was arraigned in court on March 29 and has been held at the county’s Juvenile Detention Center since his arrest.

Following a status hearing on Aug. 2, Taylor announced three more charges have been filed against the 14-year-old suspect, two of them involving a second victim.

“There was another juvenile who was with Lucia on the date when this happened back on March 26,” Taylor said.

The boy now faces attempted murder and brandishing a firearm in connection to that second girl under the age of 13. Due to her age, her name is not being released.

The teen suspect also faces a charge of threatening to shoot up a school.

Taylor said the boy shared a video clip on social media of a school shooting, which included threatening comments he allegedly made before Bremer’s murder.

There is still no information to suggest the suspect knew the two victims, according to Taylor. The motive also has not been released since it’s still a juvenile case.

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