ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A 10-year-old New Mexico boy who attorneys say experienced years of abuse from his father is scheduled to go to court for his dad's 2009 shooting death.
The boy is slated later this month to face a jury in Valencia County for first-degree murder in a rare prosecution expected to highlight the debate over whether children that young are capable of the pre-meditation required for such a serious charge.
Experts say the boy, now 14 and living in Oklahoma, is just one of a handful of very young children in the nation's history to face such a conviction.
Thirteenth Judicial District Attorney Lemuel Martinez declined to talk about the case with The Associated Press. But he said prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to meet the burden of proof.
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