KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Northeast Middle School student charged in the death of 14-year-old Manuel Guzman made his first court appearance Friday.
Cameras weren't allowed inside Jackson County's Family Justice Center, where the teenage suspect appeared virtually for his first court appearance.
The teen's attorney, Timothy Honse, argued for house arrest saying he doesn't have a criminal history and there is "more to the story" as to what happened Tuesday morning at Northeast Middle School.
That request was denied, and the judge Commissioner William Jackson ordered the suspect be held in a secure juvenile facility until his next hearing.
On Wednesday, prosecutors charged the juvenile with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in connection to Manuel’s death Tuesday in a bathroom at the school.
Because of the nature of the charges against the juvenile, a judge will eventually rule on whether he will be tried as an adult or juvenile.
The suspect has remained in custody at the Juvenile Detention Center since Tuesday.
The hearing happening on the same day KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted that KCPS superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell has accepted his invitation to speak at Tuesday's police board meeting.
I have invited KCPS Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell to join us at Tuesday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting. I thank him for saying yes, and look forward to hearing his voice, and those of other school leaders, as we strive to build a safer community for our youth.
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) April 15, 2022
It will give commissioners and KCPD top brass an opportunity to hear how the district is working to create a safer environment for its students and the partnerships they'll need to make it happen.
On Thursday, Bedell told KSHB 41 News KCPS is doing its own investigation of incident.
"How did we get here and how do we stop it?," Bedell said.
In 2019, a 15-year-old girl was killed outside Central High School. Her family is now suing KCPS claiming the district mishandled a fight that led to the deadly shooting and that they didn't follow safety policies.
In Guzman's death, neither police nor KCPS have said how the murder weapon, a knife, made it into the middle school.
KSHB 41 News asked Guzman's mother, Vicenta Guzman, what she would like the school district to do to prevent another tragedy from happening again.
"To have more responsibility, more staffs, more securities," she said. "No children should go to school and not feel safe anymore. I do not believe that. School is supposed to be a place like home."
The suspected teen killer is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on May 4 at 10:20 a.m. in Division 18 at the Family Justice Center of Jackson County, Missouri.
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