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What requirements are needed to certify a teen as an adult? Pro 8 answers the question

By Ray Gomez

We have read some of the blogs posted by you on our website about the Katherine Cardenas case and its development.

Many have asked if there will be other arrests or when if this suspect in custody will go to court.

At this moment the Webb County Attorney's Office, which deals with juvenile cases, is in the preliminary stages of filing the petition to the courts.

There are certain requirements to certify a juvenile as an adult.

The juvenile has to be 14 years or older, also offenses have to be capitol, aggravated offenses, controlled substance or first-degree felony.

In this capital murder case it will take a while for the 16 year old to be certified:

"From the date that he is detained we have 30 working days to file the petition in a capital case."

After the petition is filed they will get a court date.

The state files the petition and the juvenile is transferred. As a court order the 16 year old who is allegedly accused of killing two-year-old Katherine Cardenas will go under a diagnostic and social evaluation, but the 16 year old may be facing other charges:

"We are looking at filing multiple offenses in this case."

Juvenile prosecutors won't say what the offenses are but will say they are waiting for lab results. Even though we don't know what happened to Katherine Cardenas the death has been described as horrific by law enforcement:

"I can tell you that the evidence will come out eventually. Like I said it's still an ongoing investigation."

The County Attorney's Office revealed to us that others maybe arrested in connection to this case:

" There might be a possibility but at this point the suspect who is detained is our primary suspect."

"The case presents different challenges because basically no one is admitting anything about this case primarily."

Police say now they are having to link people with forensic evidence, and there were no witnesses to the act of violence that took the life of little Katherine Cardenas.

The 16 year old is being held at a holding facility in Duvall County.

According to the Webb County Attorney's Office, they are in the process of transferring juveniles from their old facility to the new one.

Some juveniles have been transferred to other facilities outside of Webb County until that is completed.
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