Teenager To Be Tried As An Adult In Deadly Shooting At Alki Beach
A 16-year-old Seattle youth will be tried as an adult for allegedly killing a woman and wounding her male companion in a West Seattle park Aug. 16.
King County Juvenile Court Judge Anthony Wartnik granted the prosecutor's request yesterday to have Aries Faletago tried on first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in Superior Court.
Wartnik concluded that the maximum four-year sentence Faletago could receive if convicted in juvenile court would in no way be in proportion to the alleged crime.
If convicted in Superior Court of the two counts, Faletago would face a sentence of more than 20 years.
Prosecutors say Sheryl Hernandez, 27, and Ernest Roybal, 28, were sitting on a bench in an Alki Beach-area park when Faletago approached them and asked if they had the time.
He began to walk away, but spun back toward them and fired .22-caliber bullets into the heads of both victims, the charges allege. Hernandez died.
Roybal briefly lost consciousness but was able to give a description of the attacker. After the description was circulated in the media, Faletago told friends the description was inaccurate, Deputy Prosecutor David Wall said.
Wall said Faletago is a member of a street gang and has bragged about the killing. He said Faletago planned to rob the couple, but fled after shooting them.