Police investigate 3 patient rapes at St. Francis, suspect arrested
16 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A teenager arrested after a fatal shooting at Towne East Square in March 2022 is no longer being tried as an adult, at least for now. The boy was 16 at the time and is now 17.
The teen’s case was originally in juvenile court, but the district attorney’s office asked for and got the case moved to adult court. The teen was charged with first-degree murder a few months ago.
The teen was supposed to be back in court Friday for a preliminary hearing where evidence from the shooting would be presented, but the hearing was delayed.
Instead, the district attorney’s office and the defense requested the case return to juvenile court due to “a deficiency in the record.” The judge agreed and dismissed the criminal case without prejudice, which means it could be refiled.
The district attorney’s office plans to refile the motion for adult prosecution.
In the meantime, the 17-year-old has been moved out of the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility and is back in the juvenile detention facility.
The case involves the death of 14-year-old TrenJ’vious Hutton. He was shot and killed inside Towne East on March 18, 2022. An active shooter call went out to the police department, and as officers arrived, shoppers raced to leave the building. Dispatchers at Sedgwick County 911 took 168 calls in less than 10 minutes after the shooting.
The Wichita Police Department said the victim was fighting with people he knew from an ongoing dispute. During the fight, police say a teenager allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots, hitting Hutton.