ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The latest on the case of a teen charged with killing his parents and three siblings in New Mexico (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
A judge has ruled a New Mexico teenager who pleaded guilty to killing five family members is psychologically treatable in a decision that clears the way for the 18-year-old to be sentenced as a juvenile and possibly be released by the time he turns 21.
Nehemiah Griego was 15 when authorities say he opened fire in his family's home near Albuquerque, killing his mother as she slept and then his younger brother and two sisters.
Griego's father, a former pastor, was the last to die. Sheriff's officials say the teen ambushed him when he returned home.
A judge ruled on Griego's treatment Thursday after a lengthy hearing in children's court to decide whether he could be rehabilitated psychologically and sentenced as a juvenile.
Griego pleaded guilty in October to two counts of second-degree murder and three counts of child abuse resulting in death.
The judge said Griego's sentence as a juvenile will be determined in several weeks.
___
2:20 p.m.
Closing arguments are underway in a hearing that will determine whether a New Mexico teenager who pleaded guilty to killing his parents and three siblings should be sentenced as a juvenile or adult.
Prosecutor Michelle Pato described the January 2013 killings Thursday as predatory and cold-blooded, with Nehemiah Griego shooting his mother as she slept then waking his younger brother to show him his mother's body before shooting the 9-year-old.
Pato says Griego took a photo of the two victims before shooting his younger sisters, and later his father when he arrived at the home.
Griego was 15 at the time of the crime. His lawyers say he was abused and likely suffered traumatic brain injury, but he has made progress at a state treatment facility.
___
11 a.m.
An Albuquerque judge must decide the fate of an 18-year-old who has pleaded guilty to killing five family members after hearing differing opinions from medical experts.
The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1o2Wm8x) that Nehemiah Griego was 15 when authorities say he shot his parents and three younger siblings. He pleaded guilty in Children's Court last year.
Children's Court Judge John J. Romero could rule on Griego's future on Thursday.
A prosecution psychiatrist says the teen has a personality disorder that would be difficult to treat and prosecutors want Griego sentenced as an adult. But the defense has argued that the teenager is doing well in psychiatric treatment and should be sentenced as a juvenile.
The defense says Griego was abused by his father and likely suffered traumatic brain injury.
___
Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
