The 13-year-old boy charged with murdering Ameer Al-Shammari has pleaded not guilty. Jean Sanchez was arraigned in Erie County Court Tuesday.
Sanchez been charged with Murder in the second degree, Criminal Sexual Act, Sexual Abuse and Petit Larceny. Police say Sanchez confessed to strangling 13-year old Al-Shammari with a shoe and hoodie string on Amherst Street in Buffalo on May 2nd. Al-Shammari was reportedly trying to retrieve his cell phone after it had been taken from him.
But, Defense Attorney Paul Dell argued during a hearing in May was coerced into confessing to the crimes. He said that Sanchez was a scared 13-year-old in a room with police would have said anything.
“The next step is I file motions and the District Attorney responds to them and provides me with information. I review them and I have experts review the information and we go from there. We have a hearing scheduled to contest the statement and its voluntariness,” said Dell.
Dell says he’s also working to have the case moved to family court.
“Here he’d be treated as an adult and he would face potentially a life sentence. If he were to go to family court he could still be incarcerated, but only until the age of 21,” said Dell.
After Tuesday’s hearing Sanchez left the courtroom with his head down and in tears. Sanchez is being held at a local youth detention center without bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 9 years to life in prison. The next hearing is scheduled for July 1st.