13-year-old suspect in Carnero shooting won’t be released before trial

LAS CRUCES, Texas (KVIA) -- The 13-year-old suspected of shooting fellow 13-year-old Chris Carnero will not be released before his trial date in July, and will continue to be held at the Doña Ana County Jail until then.

Judge Robert Lara made the decision on Thursday after a two hour hearing with arguments from both the defense and the state's prosecution.

The main reasons that the suspect will be held in custody are because he's a flight risk and he poses a danger to others and himself if he were to be released, according to Lara.

The prosecution brought 3 witnesses to testify, 2 of them working with LCPD on the investigation. One of them was an officer with the missing person's unit. He testified that the suspect had ran away 3 times in the last 3 months prior to the shooting. The suspect also had friends who had access to firearms and had potential gang affiliations, according to the officer's testimony.

Judge Lara ruled that the suspect remain in custody and have a therapeutic evaluation and have all his calls monitored from inside the jail.

There will be one more pre-trial hearing on May 26th, with jury selection to be held on June 29th, and the trial set to begin on July 1st.