Ashley Wood Update: Police Seek Murder Charges Against California Boy Who Killed His Sister
As a Rocklin, California, community mourns the death of a young teen, Ashley Wood, who was allegedly killed by her own brother on Tuesday, police are pushing to charge the suspect with murder.
People reports that Ashley, 13, was found dead in her bedroom on Tuesday from what appeared to be blunt force trauma. For now, authorities aren’t releasing details on the type of weapon used to kill the young girl, but her 14-year-old brother was arrested for the crime. He was on the scene when police arrived at the family home off of Monument Springs Drive, an affluent section of Rocklin about 25 miles from Sacramento. The boy fled when he saw the police, but he was captured in a field a short distance away.
Ashley Wood pictures,13,killed by a 14-year-old boy https://t.co/uzM1Tiv19p pic.twitter.com/f3Hwv59Tj2
— China News (@ChinaNews86) July 21, 2016
Investigators are now trying to determine what the relationship between Wood and her brother was like. Neighbors indicated that the brother was adopted, but didn’t offer any other specifics. Rocklin police are hoping to charge the boy with murder, although it’s not clear yet that charges he’ll ultimately end up with.
Given the emotional response and other factors in the case, the boy will likely be tried in another county. According to Rocklin police spokesperson Sgt. Trent Jewell, “It’s not going to be tried in Placer County due to the sensitive nature of the case. It’s not your typical situation.”
Earlier this week, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office stated that since Ashley’s father, Jeff Wood, works as a senior prosecutor for Placer County, the case would be sent to another area, due to conflict of interest. Jewell added that even the warrants to search the home came from a different county, given the unusual circumstances. A Sacramento Superior Court judge signed the warrants, and from now on, Sacramento County will handle the case.
We're learning more about the death Ashley Wood.A student at Sierra Elementary before leaving the system in 2013. pic.twitter.com/niqZP3eSJU
— Drew Bollea (@Drew_WCCB) July 21, 2016
The teen suspect appeared in juvenile court this week for arraignment, but since he’s a minor, details on the hearing weren’t readily available. Although it’s been made public that authorities want the boy to face murder charges, they haven’t yet said whether he’ll be charged as an adult. Minors ages 14 and older can be tried as an adult in California for murder charges, but it’s ultimately up to the prosecution to decided whether or not they want to pursue the option.
Meanwhile, neighbors and friends are still mourning the death of young Ashley, who had aspirations to become an Olympic gymnast one day. Most residents in the neighborhood were shocked to hear what happened. They described the family as normal and seemingly happy, spending most of their time inside their home, with occasional activities in their outdoor pool.
According to a neighbor, Mary Alvarez, “Well, most of the time (they) were inside the house. You know she got a swimming pool and always taking good care of the kids. I don’t know what happened.”
The Sacramento Bee reports that Amanda Bowers, 17, was once on the same gymnastics team as Ashley at Rancho Cordova’s Technique Gymnastics. Although Ashley stopped going to the gymnastics center a little over a year ago, Bowers remembered her as a sweet and happy child who never got upset.
“I never really saw her cry and get angry. A lot of the times in gymnastics you’ll get upset or get angry, but she was never like that.”
The head coach of the girl’s team at Technique Gymnastics, Lisa Eaton-Poarch, said Ashley was a talented gymnast who took the sport seriously and seemed to come from a family that supported her.
“She was way up in comparison to most kids in terms of gymnastics. It came to the point that she was training four to five days a week.”
On Wednesday, Rocklin Police Chief Ron Lawrence gave condolences to Ashley Wood’s parents, who continue to mourn the tragic and unexpected loss.
“On behalf of the Rocklin Police Department, I send our heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family. Words cannot adequately express our deep sorrow for all involved.”
[Photo by Getty Images/Thinkstock]
