SAN ANTONIO – A 16-year-old accused of killing a man has been certified to stand trial as an adult.
During a certification hearing Tuesday, the lead detective in the murder of Abram Garcia, 20, testified that Garcia was shot and killed Nov. 12, 2018, while in the process of selling marijuana to Raul Cervera at a Drury Lane apartment complex.
“(Cervera) asked for the weed,” San Antonio Detective Mark Duke testified. “He said, 'give me all of it' and then shot (Garcia).”
Duke was the state’s first witness during the hearing in which the state sought to have Cervera, who was 15 years old at the time, certified to stand trial as an adult.
The teen’s probation officer recommended that, based on Cervera’s significant behavioral issues while in juvenile custody, the case should be transferred to the adult system.
Dr. John Matthew Fabian, a forensic psychologist, testified for the defense. He said that Cervera had a troubled childhood marked by violence and abuse.
“He was exposed, I would say, to some pretty intense violence,” Fabian testified. He called Cervera “a damaged kid."
Following the five-hour hearing, 436th District Court Judge Lisa Jarrett ruled that Cervera’s case be transferred to the adult system and ordered him remanded to the Bexar County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail.