A circuit judge in Miller County issued a gag order Wednesday preventing the prosecution, defense or law enforcement from discussing the case of a 12-year-old Fouke, Ark., boy accused of capital murder.
The youth was arrested last week in the shooting death of 21-year-old Christa Shockley, who was shot to death in the early hours of Feb. 7 while working at the Fouke E-Z Mart in the 100 block of North Monster Expressway. The accused juvenile's name is being withheld because of his age.
Shockley's lifeless body was discovered on the convenience store floor by a Texarkana Gazette newspaper carrier who has asked not to be identified. The 12-year-old was taken into custody later the same day and was ordered detained by Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson. At a hearing in the boy's case Wednesday, Johnson signed off on the gag order. Juvenile court proceedings in Arkansas are closed to the public.
Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Black said three options exist for juveniles accused of criminal conduct in Arkansas. A youthful offender can be adjudicated guilty and sentenced in juvenile court. Depending on the charge, sentencing could include probation, residential treatment or time in a juvenile detention facility.
Juveniles accused of serious crimes, such as murder, can be certified to stand trial as an adult as young as age 14 and juveniles who have already reached a 16th or 17th birthday can be charged as adults without permission from a court when charged with certain offenses. A 12-year-old cannot be certified to face charges in adult court.
However, the court can exert "Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction," if a judge grants a motion from the state to do so, Black said. In a case involving extended juvenile jurisdiction, a child can be held in a juvenile detention facility until their 21st birthday. The court may conduct a hearing on or before the young offender's 21st birthday to determine if placement in an adult prison is appropriate. Black said her office is seeking guidance from the state's Prosecuting Coordinator's Office, which serves as a resource to prosecutors, and from the Administrative Office of the Courts, which serves as a resource for the judiciary, concerning the court's options for an offender under extended juvenile jurisdiction.
Black said legal research is being conducted to determine how long a child adjudicated at an age under 14 can be held in an adult prison under extended juvenile jurisdiction and the procedures required in such a case.
Cases involving children accused of capital crimes are rare in Miller County. The allegation that Shockley was murdered by a pre-teen has shocked the community of Fouke and surrounding area. A celebration of Shockley's life is scheduled for 2 p.m. today at Beech Street Baptist Church in Texarkana, Ark. Shockley was a student at University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana and worked at Texarkana Regional Airport as a security guard and as a cashier at the E-Z Mart. She was a 2014 graduate of Genoa Central High School in Genoa, Ark.