SAN ANTONIO — A 15-year-old accused of capital murder was ordered detained by a juvenile judge Wednesday morning.
The teen is accused of strangling 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez on March 12 before leaving her body in a drainage culvert not far from her northeast-side home.
Family members told police the girl had gone out for a walk.
With Associate Judge Erik Reynolds presiding, security in juvenile court was beefed up as families of the victim and the accused were separated by only a few feet, the fate of the 15-year-old hanging in the balance.
The victim's family, around 20 members of which were in attendance, were told they had to turn their shirts, emblazoned with Kaitlin's picture, inside out to help keep the peace.
A probation spokesman outlined the charges, telling the judge the teen suspect had been detained for two weeks on a capital murder judge.
A prosecutor asked the judge to keep the teen locked up.
"This is a very serious case," the prosecutor said. "A life has been taken... therefore he is a risk to society and he therefore needs to be detained."
Defense attorney Monica Guerrero told the judge the teen has never been in trouble before.
"He has a very supportive family," she said. "They have committed to me that they will put him in any type of psychological counseling or anything the court would require if he is allowed to be released on a monitor."
Adding that the mother was prepared to supervise the teen at home, Guerrero continued: "We understand that the nature of the offense is very serious, but he doesn't have any prior history and the mother is very concerned for his safety at detention."
But one of the teen's guardians, the mother's partner, disagreed.
"I think he needs to be held for now," they told the judge.
The judge ordered the teen detained until another hearing on May 30.
Outside the courtroom, family members of Hernandez consoled each other with hugs and through tears. They said they remain the voice of a girl whose voice has been silenced.
"I asked if he was able to have visitation with his guardians, and he is," said Crystal Rodriguez, the victim's aunt, while fighting back tears. "To me that's not fair, because he is able to have visitation, yet we have to go see my niece at the cemetery, which isn't right."
Juveniles are allowed the right to a detention hearing every 10 days. Defense attorneys can waive that right, but the victim's family says no matter what, they will be back in court each and every time there is a proceeding until they get justice.
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