MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — A California judge has found a teenage boy guilty in the slaying of a taco truck owner last year.
The judge ruled Thursday that the boy, who was 13 at the time, walked up to the taco truck Feb. 16, 2021, and fatally shot Rafael Avila-Rodriguez in the face.
The Modesto Bee reported the teen's conviction.
California law states that children under 14 years old can only be prosecuted if, at the time of the crime, “they knew its wrongfulness.”
The teen has not yet been sentenced but the juvenile court’s jurisdiction ends at age 25, meaning he cannot be incarcerated in connection with Avila-Rodriguez’s slaying beyond then.
