CANTON, Ohio — The teen who pleaded true -- the juvenile court equivalent to guilty -- in the killing of a 14-year-old Canton girl, will remain committed to the Department of Youth Services until he turns 21.
Judge Rosemarie Hall on Tuesday committed the boy, who was 13 at the time of the killing, to the Department of Youth Services for a minimum of six months for obstruction of justice. He'll remain committed until he turns 21 on murder charges.
Hall also attached a Serious Youthful Offender designation to the disposition, meaning the boy will have to serve an adult sentence if he commits any violent offenses while in the Department of Youth Services.
Hall ordered the adult sentence of 15 years to life, plus three additional years for a murder with a firearm specification, which the boy would serve prior to his 15-year sentence.
Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Michelle Cordova said the boy told police he believed the victim, Sylvia McGee, was pregnant. Cordova says an autopsy after the March 30 slaying showed she wasn’t pregnant.
Cordova said there’s no evidence other than the pregnancy rumor to indicate why Sylvia was killed.
The boy couldn’t be tried in adult court because he was 13 at the time of the slaying.
