A 14-year-old boy accused of participating in four beheadings for a Mexican drug cartel will be tried under a state juvenile law that carries a maximum of three years in prison if convicted, a judge said on Sunday.
The juvenile court judge in the state of Morelos made the ruling after a daylong hearing on whether the Mexican federal government should handle the case because of the gravity of the allegations against the boy, known as “El Ponchis.”
The judge said that Mexican law allows him to preside over cases involving minors facing federal charges and that the teenager will face charges of murder, organized crime and other allegations in the state of Morelos.
After the hearing, the boy was escorted from the courthouse by 15 state police officers. Dozens more state and federal police were stationed inside and outside the court building.
Authorities said they arrested El Ponchis on Thursday at an airport south of Mexico City with his 19-year-old sister. Mexican officials allege the boy was working for the Cartel of the South Pacific, a branch of the splintered Beltran Leyva gang.
The sister has said they were headed for Tijuana, Mexico, where they planned to cross the border into the US and seek refuge with their stepmother in San Diego, California.
Many youths have been used by drug cartels, but the story of El Ponchis may be the most shocking. A YouTube video that emerged a month ago sparked talk of a child hit man — said by some to be as young as 12.
“I participated in four executions, but I did it drugged and under threat that if I didn’t, they would kill me,” the boy said when he was handed over to the federal prosecutor on Friday.
Authorities identified the curly haired suspect only by his first name, Edgar.
Morelos Governor Marco Adame Castillo has said the boy was born in San Diego and Mexican officials were researching whether he has dual nationality.
Meanwhile, Mexican police say armed commandos attacked two drug rehabilitation centers in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico — across from El Paso, Texas — killing four people and wounding five.
Municipal police spokesman Adrian Sanchez says the attacks occurred on Sunday afternoon. Three were killed in one center and one was killed in another.
Authorities also said nine men were killed in the Acapulco area, including one who was burned after being slain.
Officials said five of the bodies were discovered in Acapulco and the rest in nearby neighborhoods on Sunday. The men’s ages ranged from 25 to 50.
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