Declination hearing looms for parental shooting case

EPHRATA - A decision on whether the 14-year-old Moses Lake boy accused of shooting his parents will be tried as an adult could be made in early December.

The boy is currently charged with two counts of attempted murder and his bail is set at $500,000.

Defense attorney Lylianne Couture and deputy prosecutor Steven Johnson are planning to meet with Court Administrator Mindi Finke to set a date for a declination hearing.

A declination hearing is when the defense attorney argues that the case should stay in juvenile court.

"We're targeting early December for the declination hearing day," Johnson said. "That's going to depend on judge availability as well as expert availability, but right now that's our target."

Both sides have received reports from experts involved in the case and the prosecution is waiting for a final report from Grant County Probation Services that should be delivered on Friday.

Judge Pro-tem Harry Ries elected not to set another status hearing before the declination hearing.

The 14-year-old allegedly took a .22 caliber pistol out of a locked gun case, loaded it and waited around 90 minutes before deciding to shoot his parents in March. He reportedly told police his parents grounded him from video games and other electronic devices.

The boy's parents, Jon and Elizabeth Brooks, survived the incident and were transported to an out-of-area hospital to recover from their injuries.

The boy's parents are allowed supervised visits, but they cannot discuss the case.