A 17-year-old Alexandria youth has pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 16-year-old Schuyler Jones.
Retired judge Joseph L. Peters, Jr, accepted the plea from the teen in juvenile court in Alexandria on Wednesday. The juvenile pled guilty to being a principal in the second degree.
“This has always been the charge against this defendant,” said Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney S. Randolph Sengel. “It means that he aided, abetted or incited the events that led to the death of Schuyler Jones.”
The juvenile’s attorney, Joseph McCarthy, agreed to the plea agreement. “While we disagree with some items in the Commonwealth’s statement of facts in this case, we agree on the core facts that a finder of facts could rely on in this case,” he said.
Schuyler died as the result of blunt force trauma to the head. Two 16-year-old Fairfax County residents are charged with striking the blows that led to Schuyler’s death. The Alexandria juvenile had a long-standing feud with Schuyler that led to the incident that occurred on Sept. 13, at Market Square that resulted in Schuyler’s death.
AS PART OF the plea agreement, the Alexandria juvenile will not be sentenced until the other two cases are resolved in Circuit Court. A trial date in these two cases is likely to be set for late February. The Alexandria juvenile could be sentenced to serve an indeterminate amount of time in a juvenile detention facility not to exceed his 21st birthday.
Being convicted in juvenile court does not mean that the 17-year-old’s record will be sealed. “The law was changed in 1992 or 1993 and juveniles over the age of 15 who are convicted of felonies records are not confidential,” Sengel said. “Anyone who does a criminal history check on this defendant will find this juvenile conviction.”