MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Two 15-year-olds charged in connection with the deadly shooting of a Memphis minister will remain in juvenile custody after a hearing to decide whether they would be transferred and tried as adults was delayed Monday.
The murder of 52-year-old Autura Eason-Williams sent shock waves through the community after she was gunned down on July 18 outside her Whitehaven home.
Police soon arrested and charged 20-year-old Eduard Rodriguez Tabora and two 15-year-olds, Brayan Carrillo and Miguel Andrade, for the crime. Rodriguez Tabora is behind bars at 201 Poplar while prosecutors want the two juveniles charged as adults.
It’s something Memphis Attorney Blake Ballin, who represents Carrillo, doesn’t want to see happen.
“A 15-year-old with his limited involvement in this crime, this offense. So, we again are in the process of going through the psychological evaluation and through discussions of the facts and various rolls of the parties, trying to convince them to withdraw their transfer notice and keep the case in Juvenile Court,” Ballin said.
A Juvenile Court judge was expected to rule on whether Carrillo and Andrade would be transferred as adults but instead issued a delay until October 10 so the Juvenile Court prosecutor could share police body cam video with the suspects’ attorneys.
Ballin said it is a routine procedure.
“They don’t usually have bearing in the offense itself directly, but certainly the body cameras can have statements of witnesses, statements of defendants, so from that standpoint, they can be very important and pretty useful,” he said.
Monday’s hearing was a virtual hearing attended by the suspect’s family and the family of Eason-Williams.
Her husband, who supports the juveniles being tried as adults, told WREG he did not want to comment or discuss the transfer hearing delay.
Ballin hopes a delay in the transfer hearing will give the court the time it needs to make a fair decision.
“Under both Weirich’s administration and the new Mulroy administration, I think there has been a realization that transfer’s not appropriate in every case and we’re hopeful that Mr. Mulroy and his assistants will come to that decision in this case,” he said.
The DA’s office responded to our request for comments saying they “cannot comment on exhibits which may yet be introduced as evidence into an ongoing criminal or juvenile court proceeding.”
