MORE: ‘I just shot my dad,’ Hamilton teen tells 911 dispatcher
Defense attorney Matthew Fritsch requested the continuance on Friday, “in order to allow adequate time to continue its investigation and preparation into this matter (and) to consult with the client on the manner in which to proceed …”
On Feb. 23, the girl, then a high school freshman, picked up a 9 mm handgun, loaded it and shot her 71-year-old father, James Ponder, in the head at their Millville Avenue home, according to police and prosecutors.
No motive for the shooting has been offered.
Earlier this month, Romans ruled the teen’s case would remain in juvenile court. Prosecutors had requested she be tried as an adult.
Romans said she considered the girl’s age, her lack of a criminal history and determined she wasn’t physically and emotionally mature enough to be tried in adult court.
The judge told the girl, who sat motionless during the hearing, that this is a “very serious case” and determining whether to move it to adult court was “a serious decision.”
MORE: 14 items seized from Hamilton home where teen said she shot father
The Journal-News is not naming the teen because she is charged as a juvenile. The teen remains housed in the county juvenile detention center.
About the Author
