Hearings to start in 2019
Judge to decide whether teen charged with killing 7-year-old should be tried as adult
A judge will decide next year whether a 16-year-old charged with killing her 7-year-old nephew should be tried as an adult or as a juvenile.
Jennie Bunsom faces firstdegree murder charges in adult court on suspicion of killing Jordan Vong. Bunsom told police she suffocated Jordan on Aug. 6 and hid his body after the boy asked her to play video games, court documents show.
Bunsom’s public defenders filed a motion requesting a reverse-transfer hearing, during which a judge decides whether a minor’s case filed in adult court should be sent back to juvenile court. A judge will consider how much of a threat Bunsom poses to public safety and how she would benefit from rehabilitation before making a decision.
Prosecutors did not need a judge’s approval to file the charges in adult court because Bunsom was facing violent felony charges and was 16 at the time of the al- leged crime. For defendants younger than 16, a juvenile court will conduct an investigation and hold a hearing into whether transferring the case to adult court would be contrary to the best interests of the juvenile and the public.
Bunsom turned 16 the day before she allegedly killed Jordan.
Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill in May 2016 that prohibits prosecutors from charging minors as adults for many low- and mid-level felonies. It also raised the minimum age that juveniles can be directly charged as adults for more serious crimes, such as murder or violent sex offenses, from 14 to 16.
Bunsom appeared in court Friday dressed in tan pants and a highlighter-yellow shirt. Denver District Judge Karen Brody appointed Bunsom a guardian ad litem, someone who will look out for Bunsom’s best interests as she navigates the legal system.
Brody set five days of hearings, including the reverse-transfer hearing, to begin Jan. 28. Bunsom remained in custody without bond Friday.
Jordan’s mother reported the boy missing on Aug. 6, and law enforcement spent more than a day looking for him. Police later found the boy’s body hidden in a closet in the home in the 4900 block of Fairplay Street.