MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The teens charged in the murder of Memphis pastor Autura Eason-Williams were back in juvenile court Friday morning. This appearance was to make a final decision on whether they will be tried as adults.
WREG was there for the hearing, and has more on what’s next in a case that’s shocked the community.
Juvenile court will no longer house the two teenagers charged with killing a beloved Memphis pastor. Friday, the 15-year-old who is said to have fired the shots killing Pastor Autura Eason-Williams waived his right to a transfer hearing and voluntarily moved his case to adult court.
Now that he is charged as an adult, WREG is identifying Miguel Andrade.
In court, he was said to be the one who got out of the car that followed Eason-Williams home July 19, 2022 and opened fire on her as she sat in her car.
Defense attorneys described Andrade as a good student who was already complying with a GPS monitoring device he was wearing at the time of the crime. It seems GPS coordinates also put him at the scene of the Eason-Williams shooting.
The other teen charged in crime admitted his guilt and was placed in DCS custody until he is 19. His attorney Blake Ballin said that the teen’s role in the crime was different.
“My client pled guilty essentially today to very serious charges: first degree murder, car-jacking. But he never got out of the vehicle. He was certainly involved in this terrible, terrible incident. But he cooperated from the beginning and he actually helped authorities prosecute these other individuals,” Ballin said.
The families on both sides of this case were in court today, but did not speak with the media. In the past Pastor Eason-Williams’ family has been divided on whether the teens should be tried as adults.
Now, the teens themselves are divided. One headed to trial, and the other to state DCS custody.
Miguel Andrade was given a $200,000 bond and will be under GPS monitoring. He will be only allowed to go to his home, school or to court.
