Teen charged with fatally shooting Ross High School student pleads not guilty

A 17-year-old Ross High School student charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a fellow student last month will remain incarcerated until his next court appearance.

The teen, who is charged with aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence in addition to murder for allegedly fatally shooting Austin Hensley on the evening of Jan. 30 at a residence on Hine Road, had a hearing scheduled Monday in juvenile court before Judge Kathleen Romans.

MORE: Teen charged with gun theft in connection with Ross High School student’s death appears in court

Attorney Richard Hyde entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client and asked that he be evaluated for competency to stand trial, saying the teen has a form of autism. The prosecution objected to the evaluation, stating the teen had been evaluated by the court for past cases and found competent.

The prosecution is requesting the case be sent to adult court for trial if probable cause is found by the judge. Romans set March 5 for that hearing.

Hyde sat at the defense table alone. He waived the teen’s appearance in court after a local media outlet indicated the teen would be photographed but with his face blurred so that he was not recognizable.

Another teen Ross student, who faces a felony charge of grand theft of a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting, appeared before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Ronald Craft on Monday morning for a pre-trial hearing. According to court documents, the teen removed his father’s .38-caliber handgun from his father’s bedroom and passed it to another subject, who is not named in the documents.

Craft set another hearing for Feb. 26 and ordered the teen to remain in the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center.

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