The Brief
- A Santa Clara County juvenile justice court judge on Friday ruled that a then-13-year-old boy is responsible for second-degree murder following the deadly 2025 stabbing of another boy at Santana Row on Valentine’s Day.
- DA is pushing for the boy, now 14, to spend 7 years in custody. Juvenile offenders of this age would most likely serve eight months.
- Sentencing will occur after other legal issues are settled in July.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A Santa Clara County juvenile justice court judge on Friday ruled that a then-13-year-old boy is responsible for second-degree murder following the deadly 2025 stabbing of another boy at Santana Row on Valentine’s Day.
Responsible for murder
What we don’t know:
The defendant, who is now 14, is not being named because he is a juvenile. He sat in court looking attentive in a gray suit; his mother sat in the row behind him. Because it’s juvenile court, the formal term is “responsible” for murder, not guilty.
Meanwhile, the family of the slain 15-year-old David Gutierrez, said the 14-year-old should have faced an adult penalty for what they describe as an adult crime. But California law does not allow a child who was 13 at the time of an alleged offense to be tried as an adult under any circumstances.
David’s mother, stepfather and grandmother sat in the second row.
14 months vs. 7 years
The 14-year-old is likely only to serve eight months for the crime in juvenile hall due to state statutes governing juvenile offenders under 14. …