Orangefield teen in Orange County Court Thurs.
Last updated 3/3/2011 at Noon
ORANGE,Texas- Dressed in a black suit with a blue dress shirt and tie and shackled at the ankles, the
14-year old son of Staci Lisenby stood before Orange Couny County Court at Law No. 2
Judge Troy Johnson today. The hearing is the beginning of the legal process starting with addressing juvenile custody laws.
Only family members and those in the Orange County judicial system were allowed in the courtroom. According to District Attorney John
Kimbrough,
all juvenile cases are completely confidential.
In Texas the minimum age for certification and transfer of a child to adult court is 14 if the charge is a capital felony, a first-degree felony or an aggravated controlled substance felony. Age 15 is the minimum age for certification and transfer for all other felonies.
On Tuesday, March
1, the son was taken into custody by the Orange County Sheriff's
Department. The juvenile is being held for the alleged shooting of his
mother pm Sunday, Feb. 20.
Mrs. Lisenby and her 14-year old son
were the only occupants in the residence at 2478 Oilla Road in
Orangefield at the time of the incident around 6 p.m. The Orangefield
teenager called 9-1-1 and told officers an intruder shot his mother then
fled.
Lisenby was rushed to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in
Beaumont. She was treated and transferred to the ICU unit where she died
the next day.
On Friday, Feb. 26, Orange County Sheriff Keith
Merritt released a statement that pointed at the teacher’s son as a
suspect in the murder. The statement withheld the name of the juvenile
and there was no mention of a murder weapon.
The son told
officers that he was laying on the cough in the living room and Lisenby
was sitting at a desk in the corner of the living room. He also told
officers that he heard a shot, turned and saw an unknown white male
running out the front door.
The Orange County deputies used a
probably cause affidavit to obtain a search warrant for the home and
property belonging to Staci Lisenby and her family. The Record
Newspapers has obtained a copy of the affidavit.
According to the
affidavit of probable cause, the son told investigators that he chased
the subject out of the door and to the left towards a wooded area. The
juvenile claimed that hen he realized he was able to catch the subject,
he returned to the resident and called 9-1-1. He also said that he did
not see the gun used to shoot his mother.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Lisenby was shot with a .22 caliber bullet.
Investigators
searched the area and began processing the crime scene. The Beaumont
Police Department K-9 Unit responded to the scene with bloodhounds. The
search did not reveal any evidence of an intruder.
On Friday,
Feb. 26, Orange County Sheriff Keith Merritt told the media key evidence
was found that confirms investigators beliefs that this crime was not
committed by a stranger. Merritt said the primary suspect was a 14-year
old juvenile.
According to the affidavit, the investigators
received information that the son found a .22. caliber revolver in the
attic of his home and kept it hidden from his parents.
The
investigators learned that in the week prior to the shooting, the son
had made statements to a juvenile friend that he was tired of how strict
his parents were and that he intended on killing them and running away.
The investigators also interviewed another juvenile who reported that
about one month ago, she and the son went out to the pond behind the
barn to shoot his pellet gun.
The juvenile stated that during
this time, the son asked her if she wanted to shoot the hand gun. The
juvenile female told investigators that she shot the revolver and that
the son took a picture of her holding the gun which she had been using
has her Facebook profile picture. Investigators viewed and a obtained a
copy of this picture which shows the juvenile female holding a western
style revolver.
According to the affidavit, investigators
conducted another interview on Feb. 22 of another juvenile. When asked
about the revolver, the juvenile said that the son indicated, "I got rid
of that pistol. It's gone forever."
The son of Staci Lisenby was
transferred to Minne Rogers Juvenile Justice Center in Beaumont on
Tuesday and will be arraigned later in the week.
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