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Details in Hanover teens death come out in court

Posted at 7:00 PM, Jan 03, 2012
and last updated 2012-02-01 08:13:15-05

HANOVER COUNTY, VA (WTVR) - New details have emerged in the death of a Hanover County teenager last December.

Jyreffe Clark was found Dec. 17, by a fatal gunshot wound.

Investigators charged three Hanover teens in connection to Clark’s death, two charged with accessory after-the-fact, and a 17-year-old charged with first degree murder.

Wednesday afternoon inside a Hanover County juvenile courtroom, a judge accepted the recommendation to combine all three cases together.

John Luxton, attorney for the 17-year-old charged with murder, then asked the judge to set a bond for his client. He said the young man has close ties to Hanover, works a part-time job after school and is not a flight risk.

Luxton then outlined for the judge what he believes happened inside his client’s home last December.

The four teens were re-creating a video, and got a semi-automatic handgun from another room, and un-loaded it.

They then proceeded to shoot the video.

“They were going to the next part of the video, in another room to do it,” said Luxton.

“The gun was given to my client, and he’s never handled a gun or anything--and he’s, they’re all excited with the music going on--and accidently it goes off,” said Luxton.

Jyreffe’s mother, Patricia Sands, said the trial will determine if it was an accident or if her son was intentionally murdered.

While she said she can come to accept the outcome of the trial, it’s what happened after the shooting that she can’t forget or forgive.

"If it was an accident, I have no choice but to accept that,” she said. “But to drag his body, throw him up against a fence like he's a piece of paper, that’s what I have a problem with.”

The three suspects are due back in court on March 8th.