Forensic psychology expert witness Dr. Nathan D. Henry testified in the declination hearing for a 15-year-old Moses Lake, WA, boy accused of shooting his parents. Dr. Henry described the young man’s maturity and possible risk to society. The hearing will determine if the defendant will be tried as an adult or a minor. He told police that his parents had banned him from playing video games. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Declination hearings are extremely important in these types of cases because penalties for serious offenses are significantly higher when the individual is tried in adult court.