LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 13-year-old California boy was charged with murder on Thursday for a fatal attack with a baseball bat on a 15-year-old who had apparently teased him about losing a baseball game.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office said the teen, whose name was being withheld, would make his first court appearance in juvenile court on Friday.
Jeremy Rourke, 15, died on Tuesday night after the final game of the Pony League season in the desert city of Palmdale, 30 miles north of Los Angeles.
Witnesses said the two boys were standing in line at the snack bar when an argument broke out. Some said that Rourke had teased his attacker after his team lost the final game of the season to the worst team in the league.
According to coach Tony Trevino "one boy lost his composure, got his bat out and hit the other two times, once in the knee, once in the head."
The decision to charge the 13-year-old was made despite pleas for understanding by Rourke's family. The two boys had known each other for years and the family said in a message that their son's attacker "is not a monster. He's a good boy who made a bad mistake."
Under California law, 13-year-olds cannot be tried as adults. The maximum penalty for a minor found guilty of murder would be incarceration in a youth facility until the age of 25.
Hundreds of people took part in a candlelight vigil at the Palmdale baseball field on Wednesday.
"It seemed to be just an altercation between two kids that escalated beyond reason," Palmdale School District Superintendent Jack Gyves told The Daily News. "It's a very unfortunate episode."
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office said the teen, whose name was being withheld, would make his first court appearance in juvenile court on Friday.
Jeremy Rourke, 15, died on Tuesday night after the final game of the Pony League season in the desert city of Palmdale, 30 miles north of Los Angeles.
Witnesses said the two boys were standing in line at the snack bar when an argument broke out. Some said that Rourke had teased his attacker after his team lost the final game of the season to the worst team in the league.
According to coach Tony Trevino "one boy lost his composure, got his bat out and hit the other two times, once in the knee, once in the head."
The decision to charge the 13-year-old was made despite pleas for understanding by Rourke's family. The two boys had known each other for years and the family said in a message that their son's attacker "is not a monster. He's a good boy who made a bad mistake."
Under California law, 13-year-olds cannot be tried as adults. The maximum penalty for a minor found guilty of murder would be incarceration in a youth facility until the age of 25.
Hundreds of people took part in a candlelight vigil at the Palmdale baseball field on Wednesday.
"It seemed to be just an altercation between two kids that escalated beyond reason," Palmdale School District Superintendent Jack Gyves told The Daily News. "It's a very unfortunate episode."
