Teen To Be Tried As Adult In Seatac Mall Slaying -- If Convicted, Kent Boy Could Be Sentenced To 12 To 16 Years

The 15-year-old Kent boy accused of shooting to death a 16-year-old boy outside SeaTac Mall in December will be tried as an adult, a judge ruled yesterday.

Cory Gooden Charleston, charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the Dec. 10 shooting of Zac Spears, faces a sentence of 12 to 16 years if convicted.

Prosecutors allege that Charleston and his friends fought with another youth over gang affiliations and that Charleston fired three shots at the youth, only to miss and strike Spears, who was standing nearby.

Juvenile Court Judge Bobbe Bridge said the seriousness and aggressiveness of the crime, along with Charleston's criminal history, merited that he be tried as an adult. She said her decision would best serve both Charleston and the public.

Defense attorneys, supported by testimony from a psychologist, had argued that Charleston is a needy, immature and unsophisticated boy who should be tried in juvenile court.

The judge said his gang involvement spoke to his sophistication. She cited his reputation throughout Kent Junior High as a leader of a gang known for threatening African-American students.

"He's trying to have it both ways - as a big man on campus and as a needy kid," Bridge said.

Charleston is white; his intended victim at SeaTac Mall was African American.

The judge speculated that, if convicted, Charleston would be given a low-end sentence of 12 years and that he'd be eligible for parole in 10 years.

Under existing laws, he would be eligible to remain in juvenile-detention centers until age 18. After that, he would be transferred to a state prison.

The judge said legislation now being considered would give him the chance to remain in the juvenile system until age 21.

Had he been tried as a juvenile and found guilty, he would have faced incarceration in the juvenile system until age 21, but could have been released to a group home at any time.

Charleston has two previous convictions for criminal trespassing, one for malicious mischief and one for reckless endangerment, in which he threw a cup of liquid at a passing car.

He has three other pending cases, one for carrying a concealed weapon, one for taking a motor vehicle without permission and one for assault.