A Nueces County judge ruled on Monday that a juvenile suspect accused of killing a 15-year-old girl would be certified to stand trial as an adult.
Judge Timothy McCoy, who presided over the certification hearing that was held in the Nueces County Court at Law No. 5 at the Juvenile Detention Center, listened as both the prosecutor and the defense lawyers gave testimonies in the case of Eriya Ruiz, who died on June 2, 2023, when she was stabbed outside of her home on Corpus Christi’s Southside.
The courtroom was full, with family members of both the victim and the juvenile offender attending. They listened intently as Michael Meyer, the prosecutor, described details of the offense, stating that its seriousness called for it to be transferred to an adult district court.
Ruiz’s family has pressed for the juvenile to be prosecuted as an adult since her death.
The Caller-Times is not naming the juvenile because he has not been indicted on a murder charge in Ruiz’s death. The Nueces County district attorney’s office will present the case to a grand jury, which will decide whether to indict the juvenile on a murder charge as an adult, interim District Attorney James “Jimmy” Granberry said.