A teenager from the Las Vegas, Nev. teen made his first appearance in court on charges of murdering his mother and younger brother several days after he turned 16 years old.
Adrian Navarro-Canales walked into the Henderson court house on Monday, cuffed and chained, and nodded 'yes' that he understood the charges being brought against him, the Associated Press reported. He did not say much more during the initial trial, and was given a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 30. He will be tried as an adult.
Navarro-Canales' appointed public defender didn't give a comment outside of the court room, nor did the prosecution.
Henderson police found Adrian's mother, Elvira Canales-Gomez, and his 9-year-old brother Cesar Navarro, lying on the bathroom floor of their apartment, hacked to death, on Sept. 20. Police reported that the mother had been stabbed multiple times, and a knife was stuck in her chest. Her son was stabbed once in the chest. Law enforcement officials wagered that the murders occurred Sept. 17, a few hours after Elvira picked Cesar up from school.
Officials looked for Adrian in southern Nevada and along the Mexico border for a few days after the murder. He turned up last Wednesday, after an unidentified citizen who recognized the teen from news reports called and tipped police off. Adrian was found sitting in the food court at the Showcase mall, and did not resist when police came up to him at around 10:30 a.m.
"He was sitting at a table," Police spokesperson Keith Paul told AP. "The two detectives walked up to him and took him into custody."
Paul also stated that police investigators thought Adrian walked about 9 miles to the Las Vegas strip from their apartment on the outskirts of the city. Authorities are still unsure as to where Adrain was staying during this time.
At first, Adrian was regarded as a victim, not a suspect. Adrian's niece Ana Martinez told police that Adrian mostly kept to himself, exhibited some anti-social behavior and spent most of his free time in the family's apartment playing video games. Adrian was enrolled as a junior at Coronado High School, AP reported, but hadn't been to class since school started in August.
