A 13-year-old Florida boy in Jacksonville, if convicted of first degree murder, could end up being one of the youngest serving a life sentence in the penal system.
Cristian Fernandez was 12-year-old, when prosecutors say, he beat his 2-year-old half-brother to death and sexually abused his 5-year-old brother, wtsp.com reports. Now living in Jacksonville, Cristian is being charged as an adult and is awaiting trial in Duval County.
According to news reports, Cristian led a troubled life of violence and was born to a 12-year-old, Biannela Susana, who herself was sexually assaulted by his 25-year-old father, when he was conceived.
When Cristian was 2-years-old, he was found wandering on a South Florida street, naked and dirty. He was returned to his grandmother who was taking care of him in a cocaine filled motel room, absent his then 14-year-old mother, wtsp.com also reported.
The Department of Children and Families investigated a report that Cristian might have been sexually molested by an older cousin and there are other disturbing reports that he killed a kitten, simulated sex with classmates and masturbated at school.
If convicted Cristian could face a life sentence. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has recently ruled that it is unconstitutional for juvenile offenders to get mandatory life sentences without parole. But Cristian is being tried as an adult, further complicating this case.
Legal analysts have suggested that Cristian’s case is one of the most complex that Florida’s legal system faces. The boy’s defense attorney’s have said that he didn’t understand his rights when he was being interviewed by police and with the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, they are not sure how to advise him on the likely outcomes.
Supporters of Cristian have said that he ought not to face a life sentence, if convicted, and instead should be tried as a juvenile and offered help.
How this case is resolved, will have implications for similar cases across the country, others have suggested.
