San Francisco DA Urged To Charge Juvenile Suspect In Fatal Stabbing Of Teen As An Adult
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The family of a 14-year-old who was killed in a fatal stabbing last month is urging San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon to charge the accused killer as an adult in the case.
Rashawn Williams, a straight A student and freshman football player at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, was stabbed outside a market in the city's Mission District.
The family said Rashawn used to go to middle school with the suspect, and was bullied and harassed by him.
Rashawn's family is asking people to sign an online petition to get the suspect charged as an adult.
"How they could have the audacity to even think about trying this as a juvenile because it was pre-meditated and it was violent," said Ruth Morales, Rashawn's aunt.
Professor Hadar Aviram of UC Hastings College of the Law said, "San Francisco is actually the county where you have the least chances of being tried as an adult if you're a juvenile."
Aviram said that is because the county is more liberal than others in the state. The professor said if the suspect is convicted in the juvenile system, his time served would add up to less than a decade.
The San Francisco District Attorney's Office said it could not comment on the case.
