DeMarco Harris is an American convicted murderer from Detroit, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. At the age of 12, Harris murdered Trisha Babcock.

Crime

On August 1, 2009, Babcock, 24, was sitting in a vehicle when Harris approached the car to rob her. He shot her in the chest and stole her purse. Babcock later died in hospital from her injuries. Harris's fingerprints were found on the window of Babcock's car, and Harris had previous encounters with law enforcement including "an incorrigibility petition filed by a parent claiming he was uncontrollable." At age ten Harris became involved in gangs and drugs.

Trial

Harris was ordered to undergo a psychological examination. Defense attorney Loren Harris also requested testing for marijuana and ecstasy. Harris's first trial ended in January 2010 with a hung jury

Hung jury

A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...

, but his second trial ended with convictions for: felony murder, armed robbery, firearm use during a felony, and curfew violation.

On June 17, 2010, Judge Sheila Gibson sentenced Harris to juvenile detention until Harris turns 21, at which time he will be re-evaluated by the court. Depending on the court's findings, Harris will either be released from custody or sentenced as an adult to life in prison without the possibility of parole.