3 Miramar Teens Charged In Brutal Murder Of 18-Year-Old Dwight "DJ" Grant Face Judge

MIRAMAR (CBSMiami) – Three teenagers charged in the murder of 18-year-old Dwight "DJ" Grant in Miramar faced a judge Thursday.

Grant was stabbed in the neck and impaled by a sword to the chest. CBS4 News normally does not identify juveniles, but because of the nature of the case, we are.

Andre Clements is one of three teens accused in the grisly murder.

The 17-year-old and the two other teens appeared in court on video, learning that the state attorney's office is asking a grand jury to indict the three, allowing a first-degree murder charge in adult court.

"If the jury returns an indictment for a life felony or capital felony, at that point it would be moved to adult court," explained prosecutor Christine Bradley.

Attorney Peter Butlien is representing 17-year-old Christie Parisien.

"It's always disturbing to see a 17-year-old child to be prosecuted in adult court.  These are very serious charges and serious consequences for a 17-year-old," Butlien said.

Jaslyn Smith, 16, could potentially see herself in adult court, too.

"By moving the case from the juvenile system to adult system the amount of punishment increases significantly," explained former state and federal prosecutor David Weinstein. "You can only be punished in the juvenile system up until your 18.  At that point the juvenile justice system loses jurisdiction over you, so a 16- or 17-year-old maximum punishment is two years essentially. And for someone closing in on 18, not even that much," he said.

If the grand jury returns indictments for first-degree murder and the teens are charged as adults, they could face considerable time in prison if convicted.

"They're looking at sentences that would at least be 20-40 years or potentially more before they'd be eligible for parole," he said.

The grand jury will hear this case on November 4. The three suspects are due back in court on November 9.