Petition asks for teen charged in Newark detective's murder to be tried as an adult
Push to try teen as adult after NJ cop's killing
A 14-year-old is facing murder charges in the shooting death of Newark Police Detective Joseph Azcona — but current New Jersey law prevents him from being tried as an adult. Now, the detective’s family is calling for change. FOX 5’s Kendall Green reports.
NEW JERSEY - A 14-year-old is facing murder charges in the shooting death of Newark Police Detective Joseph Azcona. Because of his age, he cannot be tried as an adult under New Jersey law. Now, the detective’s family and supporters are petitioning lawmakers to change that.
What we know:
The 14-year-old suspect has been charged with murdering Detective Azcona, who was killed in the line of duty less than three weeks ago. Azcona and another officer were shot while responding to reports of a suspect with an illegal gun.
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Despite the gravity of the crime, New Jersey law currently prevents anyone under 15 from being prosecuted as an adult. That means the accused teen is being tried in the juvenile justice system.
What they're saying:
Now, Detective Azcona’s family is calling for a change in the law. His mother recently started a petition on Change.org that has already garnered nearly 16,000 signatures. The petition urges lawmakers to revise the age threshold for adult prosecution in violent crimes.
However, according to criminal defense attorney Herb Ellis, such a change would face significant legal hurdles.
"The petition and the public at large are creating some type of a position that they want this young man to be treated as an adult, but I think the only way of changing that… would be to have the legislature change the law in the future," Ellis said. "Even with the petition that was signed, I think it’s going to be an uphill battle to have him waived up as an adult."
The other side:
The New Jersey State Police Union is also backing the Azcona family’s efforts. Union president Michael Fox sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to eliminate age restrictions and give prosecutors more discretion in charging juveniles as adults.
What's next:
Unless the legislature amends the law, the suspect will remain in the juvenile system. While public pressure is mounting, any change would likely not be retroactive and would only apply to future cases.