CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A Chesterfield grand jury indicted an 18-year-old, two 17-year-olds, and a 16-year-old in connection to a deadly shooting at a July birthday party in Chesterfield.
The teenagers face murder and gun charges and will be tried as adults.
"In Virginia, if it's a murder charge and the defendant is 16 or 17 then it is automatically tried as an adult," CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone said.
A Chesterfield high school student was shot and killed inside a bathroom at a July 2 quinceañera held at the Cultural Center of India along the 6600 block of Ironbridge Parkway.
Stone also weighed in on why the teens can face both types of murder charges.
"Prosecutors have different policies on how they indict someone in this type of situation," Stone said. "It's fine to indict first and second-degree but they can only be convicted of one of those."
"The victim, who appears to have been the intended target of the shooting, was pronounced deceased at the scene," Chesterfield Police Lt. George Turner said at the time.
While the teens still have to be tried, Stone said the prosecution will have to prove this to get a conviction.
"To convict someone of murder, whether it's first or second degree, the prosecutor is going to have to prove there was some malice and that is anger. If there was a fight earlier, that is something the prosecutor would need to prove to establish malice," Stone said.
All four teens remain held at the Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Center.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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