TEEN ENTERS PLEA IN RACIAL ATTACK.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer A Lancaster teen-ager faces eight years in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from the racial attack on an African-American teen beaten and stabbed with a screwdriver screwdriver, n See instrument, screwdriver. at Antelope Valley High School Antelope Valley High School is located in Lancaster, California and is part of the Antelope Valley Union High School District. It was founded in 1912[1]. It is located in the Mojave Desert. . Tim Williams, 18, entered the plea Monday in Van Nuys Superior Court to assault with great bodily injury and admitted committing a hate crime in the December 1995 attack on Todd Jordan, who was confronted as he walked across the campus baseball field between classes. Williams faces eight years in prison when he is sentenced today. ``It was in his best interest to enter a plea instead of gambling on a more onerous result,'' said Williams' attorney, Deputy Alternate Public Defender public defender, governmental official who represents indigent persons accused of crime. U.S. Supreme Court decisions expanding the right to counsel to pretrial proceedings and holding that a person cannot be sentenced to even one day in jail unless a lawyer was Avrum S. Harris. ``He could've gotten life plus 10 years'' on the original charge of willful, deliberate and premeditated pre·med·i·tat·ed adj. Characterized by deliberate purpose, previous consideration, and some degree of planning: a premeditated crime. attempted murder In the criminal law, attempted murder is committed when the defendant does an act that is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the crime of murder and, at the time of these acts, the person has a specific intention to kill. . Williams is the last of three defendants in the case, all of whom were found unfit to be tried as juveniles. Joseph Langford, 18, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and admitted committing a hate crime and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ritch Bryant, 17, pleaded guilty to assault and admitted the hate crime allegation and faces eight years when he is sentenced in March. Bryant was ordered to undergo a 90-day evaluation to help determine whether he should be housed in a California Youth Authority facility or in state prison. Three boys who were arrested in the case admitted to the charges in juvenile court juvenile court Special court handling problems of delinquent, neglected, or abused children. Two types of cases are processed by a juvenile court: civil matters, often concerning care of an abandoned or impoverished child, and criminal matters, arising from antisocial and already have been sentenced. None of the attackers was a student at Antelope Valley High School, officials said. |
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