TOLEDO, Ohio — A teen charged with killing 15-year-old DeAsia Green was arraigned at Lucas County's Juvenile Justice Center Tuesday morning.
The teen, also 15 years old, is charged with murder and felonious assault, charges which his attorney denied at the arraignment. WTOL 11 does not name juvenile suspects who are not being tried as an adult.
The arraignment happened eight days after Green was found dead in a north Toledo alley by police and her parents.
Her stepfather, Andre Autman, said as De'Asia's family prepares for her funeral later this week, he hopes that if the suspect is found guilty, he is given the maximum punishment so others don't imitate what he did to his little girl.
"I'm so happy we got justice for my daughter," Autman said. "I just hope they make an example, set an example."
While the suspect is now in custody, Autman hopes the teen stays locked up and isn't given a lighter sentence due to his age.
It's a concern he holds after watching DeAsia's own history of misbehavior. Autman he and his wife made over 50 visits to the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center over different issues she was involved in.
"We wanted help, we were seeking help," Autman said. "All they did was turn us back around. Then my daughter started catching felonies, all they did was turn her back around again."
Autman said these slaps on the wrist were never enough to scare DeAsia away from associating with the wrong people. Now, he wishes the courts had been harder on her.
As Autman watches another 15-year-old face a judge in the same building he made dozens of trips to in the effort of helping his stepdaughter, he hopes more than just a warning is in order. Autman wants the teen's sentence to serve as a message to others running around with guns.
"I hope the juvenile justice center tries him as an adult, and he gets his punishment, and the other kids see this is not a game anymore," Autman said.
Also at Tuesday's arraignment, the prosecution requested a change of venue, and the judge set a pre-trial date of Jan. 25.