Young Teen Will Be Tried as Adult
A judge has ruled that Illahje Davis, a 14-year-old girl who hit and killed a bicyclist while drag racing a stolen car in Milwaukee, has been found competent to stand trial. She will be tried as an adult.
The incident occurred last August as Ronald Forbes was bicycling to work near 65th and Hampton. The girl and a friend allegedly stole a car from a 39th street neighborhood and was drag racing the vehicle when she struck Forbes.
According to a series of reports from Fox6Now.com, the passenger of the stolen vehicle saw Forbes riding and warned the driver to be careful of him. However, according to the complaint, the passenger told police that it seemed as though the driver headed directly towards the victim and then laughed about hitting Forbes, saying that “He shouldn’t have been in the street.”
The driver is facing four felony charges, including first degree reckless homicide, hit-and-run resulting in death, and operating a vehicle without the consent of the owner.
The driver later told police that she was driving at about 80 mph and ran two red lights when she “heard a ‘bump or boom’ noise and turned around.” The complaint states that she parked the car, got into a car being driven by some boys and, when that car ran out of gas, she “tried to steal another van to get home.”
When considering her age and whether she should be tried as an adult, the sister of the victim told Fox 6 Now.com “I don’t care her age. She shouldn’t have been out all night stealing cars, and running people down.” She continued, “It’s just not right. She needs to be prosecuted as an adult. We’re going to miss him and I think it’ll take a long time.”
During a vigil for the victim held a about two weeks after the accident, the girl’s mother publicly apologized for her daughter’s actions and told the family that she wants them to know that she “feels their pain,”. The girl’s family also told the media that the girl has “problems in her life” and that they hope she is tried as a juvenile.
In September, a doctor declared the girl was not competent to stand trial. However, the judge ordered a mental health assessment to determine her competency. In January of this year, a doctor told the court that the girl would likely regain competency. The judge then ordered that she will stand trial in the fatal hit-and-run case.
This month, the Circuit Judge Dennis Cimpl determined that Ms. Davis will be tried as an adult. If found guilty, the girl could face more than 60 years in prison. Davis is currently being held at the Lincoln Hills School for juvenile offenders in Lincoln County.
Learn more Wisconsin DUI Homicide Laws.
