1st Degree Murder Charge Sought For Middle School Student
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The case of a 14-year old Miami teen accused of gunning down a 20-year old man as he guided his blind brother home will likely be going to a grand jury next week.
Fourteen year old Juaquan Hall is currently charged with second degree murder and two counts of attempted armed robbery in connection to the death of Ramiro Izquierdo.
The grief is evident in Elizabeth Rivera's voice as she cries while describing the loss of her son Ramiro.
"I miss him. I miss him so much,"she told CBS4's Natalia Zea. "Ramiro was a very caring, giving person. If you needed help, he was always there."
The desire to help was why Izquierdo moved into Liberty City three months ago. He was there to assist his brother and grandmother who are blind.
As he walked to a neighborhood convenience store with his brother last month, Izquierdo was shot and killed in a robbery attempt.
"This kid just jumped right in front of them and told them, 'you think this is a game?' Lay flat on the floor. Not knowing the kid had a gun….when he stepped in front of his brother is when the kid took the gun out and shot him five times," cried Rivera.
Investigators said the person who pulled the trigger five times, isn't even a man yet. It's a 14 year old Hall.
Police initially detained another man for the crime, but an eyewitness pointed to Hall as the suspect.
The Edison Middle School student appeared in court for a hearing on Wednesday.
Izquierdo's mother still can't come to terms with his age.
"When I found out how old he was, I was like, 'How could that be? Where the hell did he get the gun from? Who gave it to him? What was he thinking?'He should have just walked away," said Rivera.
She says she wants Hall's case handled in adult court.
"I have no hatred in my heart but he took my son's life and I want him to pay for what he did. That he could learn a lesson and it won't happen to anyone else," said Rivera.
Neither Hall's mother, nor his grandmother would speak to Zea about the teen's arrest, but his defense attorney, Rene Palomino told Zea that he is trying to round up the 10 to 15 people who he said called his offices and can provide an alibi for Hall.
The grand jury is expected to meet next week to decide whether Hall will face that murder charge as an adult.
