14-year-old will be prosecuted as adult in Black Bob Park homicide
A 14-year-old charged in a 2022 deadly shooting at Olathe's Black Bob Park will now be prosecuted as an adult, a judge ruled.
OLATHE, Kan. -- A 14-year-old charged in a deadly shooting at Olathe's Black Bob Park will now be prosecuted as an adult.
On Tuesday, Jacobi Deonte Epting was waived to adult status in Johnson County. He's been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Marco Cardino.
Epting's next court appearance is set for Wednesday afternoon. He's being held on a $1 million bond.
The 14-year-old is one of seven teenagers charged in Cardino's death.
A court filing says the teens took masks and a gun with them when they went to Black Bob Park to buy drugs from Cardino. The document also says one of the teenagers told investigators she believed the other teenagers planned ahead to steal the marijuana from Cardino.
Judge Brenda Cameron ruled there was sufficient evidence presented during a week-long hearing that the shooting was committed in "an aggressive, violent, willful, and premeditated manner," court records say.
The Kansas City Star reports that prosecutors called the other teens as witnesses, who testified that the robbery was Epting's idea and he fired the gun.
Two other 14-year-olds have already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and are still in juvenile court.
Two more teens, ages 14 and 17, have already pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, but prosecutors have requested to certify them as adults as well.
Finally, two 13-year-olds have been charged in relation to the deadly shooting. One has since pleaded guilty to interference with law enforcement. The other pleaded not guilty to charges last year.
Kansas law does not allow 13-year-olds to be tried as adults.