Court Charges Suspect for Assaulting Yu

The 14-year-old male charged with assaulting a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, who killed by a passing car Friday night, was arraigned in Family Court Thursday afternoon.

The graduate student, Minghui Yu, was allegedly fleeing from an assault on West 122nd Street and Broadway around 9 p.m. Friday when he was struck by a passing SUV. He died a few hours later in St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital of severe head trauma.

Three teenagers were present at the assault scene, according to police, but after police questioned them, they arrested only one—a 14-year-old named Sheldon, now charged with second-degree manslaughter. Authorities would not release Sheldon’s last name and would identify him only as “Sheldon J.”

New York City Family Court determined Monday that it had jurisdiction over the case, legally classifying Sheldon as a “juvenile delinquent.” While a delinquent is defined as a minor 7 to 16 years old “found to be in need of supervision, treatment, or confinement,” those 13 to 15 years of age can sometimes be tried as adults.

The court also found that the city had probable cause that Sheldon had committed second-degree manslaughter, allowing the charges to stand and the trial to go forward. The presiding judge ruled that, until his trial, Sheldon would continue to be held in the juvenile detention facility where he has been kept since Monday.

According to a communications director for the New York City Law Department, Sheldon appeared in court “with his mother, several aunts, and other relatives.” He is being represented by the Legal Aid Society.

Sheldon’s case was adjourned until April 24 for a legal conference.

daniel.amzallag@columbiaspectator.com