Plea expected by teen in stabbing
A 17-year-old boy accused of attempted murder during an April scuffle is expected to enter a plea agreement to dodge the possibility of life imprisonment.
Precise Scottson Andon was moved from the juvenile detention center on Alder Street to Oahu Community Correctional Center yesterday. He is accused of stabbing 32-year-old Antonio Frazier multiple times in the back.
He was charged Thursday with attempted second-degree murder as an adult, after the Family Court waived jurisdiction over the boy.
If convicted, Andon faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but his defense attorney, Thomas Otake, said he has reached an agreement with prosecutors.
"Our primary goal was to take the possibility of life imprisonment off the table, and we've done that," Otake said. "We wanted the focus on rehabilitation for the boy, not just punishment."
Otake declined further comment on the agreement, saying details still needed to be ironed out. Andon appeared yesterday before a District Court judge, who set a preliminary hearing for Tuesday.
At about 9 p.m. April 12, Frazier got into an argument with several males at Thomas Square, and he was stabbed several times in the back. The group fled, but court documents state Andon was still at the scene.
A witness identified Andon as the assailant. He also was found with a knife with blood, which police later confirmed to be Frazier's.
Frazier was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in serious condition. His condition worsened when his left lung collapsed, but he was released after four days.
Andon's bail at $50,000 was confirmed yesterday. He appeared shackled before the judge and was dressed in shorts, a white T-shirt, socks and slippers.
Charging a minor as an adult can occur only in cases of first- and second-degree murder and attempted murder, and when there is no evidence the minor might be found mentally incompetent.
A recent high-profile case involving a minor is up for a hearing later this month. A 15-year-old boy is accused of strangling to death his 51-year-old neighbor, Karen Ertell, in Ewa.
Prosecutors are petitioning for the boy to be tried as an adult. A closed-door hearing in Family Court is scheduled for July 24.
