The double homicide allegedly committed by an 11-year-old boy in Minden has stunned and saddened a community that lost a former acting mayor who also served as a longtime city councilman, deputy sheriff and neighborhood marshal, as well as his daughter. The boy is now being held on $500,000 bail on two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his grandfather, Joe Cornelius Sr., 82, and Keisha Miles, 31.

Police Chief Jared McIver said that when investigators arrived at Cornelius’ home Sunday morning, two juveniles were home at the time. McIver said investigators quickly focused their investigation on one of the juveniles. “The juvenile initially gave us a story that didn’t add up. Investigators continued the interview and then obtained a confession from this juvenile, who we were initially told was 10 years old, but was confirmed to be 11 years old.” At a news conference Tuesday, Chief McIver also said the boys’ motives remain unclear.
According to the Associated Press, authorities confirmed they found two concealed guns of a caliber matching the shell casings found near the bodies. Under Louisiana law, the juvenile arrested in the homicides is not old enough to be charged as an adult because he is under 14. That means even if he is convicted in juvenile court, he would still be released at age 21.

But laws on prosecuting juveniles in adult court differ by state, as shown in the chart (above) from the Journal of Criminal Justice and Law (JCJL).