CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A teen who is accused of killing his parents at their Middleburg home last week has been indicted by a Clay County grand jury.
This means that Trevor Lee, 14, will be facing charges as an adult for two counts of first-degree murder, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
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Lee’s next court appearance is set for August 19 at 9 a.m. in Clay County court.
Action News Jax told you on August 4 when Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook announced that Lee had shot his father David Lee, 44, and mother Brandi Smith, 44.
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After the shooting, Lee walked to the parking lot of Cross Pointe Church. During a 911 call, he asked the dispatcher to pray for him.
Chris Carson is a defense attorney in Jacksonville who is not connected to this case. He said the decision to try a juvenile as an adult depends on multiple factors. But, he notes, it’s not something he sees happen often.
“So there’s not like, you know, necessarily a bright line test of ‘Hey this age you have to be prosecuted as a child,’ or something like that. It’s very fact specific and it’s just dependent on the specific situation,” he said.
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Carson notes that if Lee is found guilty of first-degree murder, there are some protections for him given his age. The death penalty is not an option, for example, for someone under 18.
“They basically have to be given a meaningful ability to rehabilitate somewhere down the road around that 25-year mark,” Carson said.
Action News Jax reached out to Lee’s sister to see if she would like to provide us a comment on the indictment; she did not want to speak today. Lee’s next court appearance is set for August 19 in Clay County.
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