Not Guilty Plea For Suspect In Deadly School Bus Shooting
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The South Florida teen accused of accidentally shooting and killing a girl on a private school bus did not appear in court for his formal arraignment Monday, instead Jordyn Howe's attorney entered a not guilty plea.
Howe, 15, is charged as an adult with manslaughter, possession of a firearm and possession of a concealed weapon.
Prosecutors upgraded the charges against Howe last week while he was on house arrest. He was booked into the Miami-Dade County jail and later bonded out.
Monday morning at his arraignment, the judge said he wants Howe in court on Wednesday, January 30th to discuss a curfew or house arrest.
Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus, whose nickname was "Jina," was killed when Jordyn took a .40-caliber pistol out of his backpack on the school bus taking kids to three charter schools in South Miami-Dade. The gun went off and a bullet struck Lourdes in the neck. The shooting took place as the bus was near Southwest 296th Street and 137th Avenue. Lourdes, a student at Palm Glades Preparatory Academy, was shot in front of her 7-year-old sister.
Lourdes' mother Ady believes the state made the right decision in upgrading the charges.
"That's what we were fighting for he has to pay for what he did as an adult and it teaches other kids to too, this is what you get for doing things you're not supposed to," said Ady DeJesus.
