The Michigan appeals court has affirmed the murder conviction of a boy who was 12 years old when he fatally stabbed another boy at a playground near Grand Rapids. The issues raised on appeal included whether a judge should have declared the boy guilty but mentally ill. The appeals court says the jury "seriously contemplated" such a verdict but instead chose first-degree murder.
The boy killed a 9-year-old boy at a playground in Kentwood in 2014. The defense argued that years of abuse at home had ruined the boy's mental health and overwhelmed his decisions. The Associated Press isn't naming the teen because of his age.
He's now 15 years old. If he meets expectations, he could be released from a juvenile detention center at 21.
