Md. girl, 16, faces adult trial in dad’s slaying

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — A Howard County judge says a 16-year-old Ellicott City girl must be tried as an adult on charges including first-degree murder in her father’s slaying.

Circuit Judge William Tucker on Monday denied a defense motion seeking to move Morgan Arnold into the juvenile justice system.

Tucker says testimony from mental-health professionals suggests Arnold will need serious treatment continuing beyond age 21. He says her mandated release at that age from the juvenile justice system wouldn’t be in the best interest of the defendant or society.

Arnold is accused of plotting with her boyfriend to kill 58-year-old Dennis Lane.

Twenty-one-year-old Jason Bulmer was sentenced last month to 30 years in prison for stabbing Lane in his daughter’s bedroom on May 10, 2013.

Arnold’s trial is set to begin Aug. 18.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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