NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Next to nothing has been revealed about the 13-year-old suspect in the May school shooting at West Noblesville Middle School suburban Indianapolis.
The reason is simple. It's the law in Indiana. The only way the boy's name will be released is if his case is waived to adult court.
In order for the case to be waived to adult court, the suspect must be 14 years old or older and be charged with a felony that is "heinous or aggravated."
State law says a suspect as young as 10 years old may be charged with murder, but its is unlikely that will apply to the Noblesville shooting as teacher Jason Seaman is out of the hospital and13-year-old Ella Whistler is improving.
Last week, the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office released a statement about information regarding the juvenile suspect. It reads, in part:
Not only are prosecutors bound by the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct with respect to making extra-judicial statements, in this situation, juvenile law also creates additional protection for the privacy of children in Indiana and further limits the release of information to the public. Whenever a petition has been filed alleging that a child is delinquent as the result of an alleged act that would be a felony if committed by an adult, only then may very limited information be released pursuant to statues.
Through its reporting, Scripps station WRTV in Indianapolis has been able to confirm the identity of the 13-year-old boy but does not plan to share that information because he is a juvenile.
