CLAIRTON, Pa. -- Two years again, 82-year-old Florence Ranta was fatally wounded after being stabbed in the living room of her Clairton home.
On Wednesday, an Allegheny County judge ruled her alleged killer, who was 15 at the time of the stabbing, will be tried as an adult in the case.
Common Pleas Judge Kevin Sasinoski denied a request by lawyers for Johnie Washington, now 17, to send the case to juvenile court, WTAE's news exchange partners at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
Prosecutors said Washington stabbed Ranta repeatedly in her head and neck on Oct. 6, 2007, in an attack so violent, the floors, walls and furniture of her home were covered in her blood.
Police investigators said the phone line was cut and they found Washington's thumbprint near that spot. Police reports also said several witnesses saw Washington driving Ranta's car after the stabbing.
Washington lived just around corner from Ranta, with his mother and younger sister.
Had Sasinoski granted the move to juvenile court, Washington could have been in custody until his 21st birthday if he was convicted.
As an adult, if he's convicted of first-degree murder, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Washington's attorneys said their client has mental problems and used drugs and alcohol at a young age, the Trib reported.
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