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Judge Denies Motion to Challenge Jurisdiction of Marshall School Shooting Case

Ryan Hermens, pool photo

Marshall County High School shooting suspect 16-year-old Gabe Parker will continue being tried as an adult.

Marshall County Circuit Court Judge Jamie Jameson denied last week a motion that sought to send Parker back to juvenile court. Specifically, the motion was "to challenge jurisdiction due to failure to conduct a full certification hearing."

Parker’s public defender Tom Griffiths brought the challenge before the court earlier this month. He said the juvenile District Court did not follow proper procedure by failing to conduct a full certification hearing required in the juvenile code.

Jameson wrote in an order denying the motion that the court had conducted the hearing under the ‘automatic transfer’ statute. As a result, he writes, Parker was transferred to the circuit court as a youthful offender.

Under the statute, if the district court finds probable cause to believe the child committed a felony with a firearm and was 14 years of age or older at the time of the offense the case shall be transferred to circuit court for trial as an adult.

Parker was 15 at the time of the shooting. He is charged with felony counts of murder and assault.

The next hearing is scheduled for August 3.  

Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
Taylor is a recent Murray State University graduate where she studied journalism and history. When she's not reporting for WKMS, she enjoys creative writing and traveling. She loves writing stories that involve diversity, local culture and history, nature and recreation, art and music, and national or local politics. If you have a news tip or idea, shoot her an email at tinman1@murraystate.edu!
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