Trial Begins for 3 Teen Girls Charged In School Beating Death
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – The trial of three Wilmington teens charged with being responsible for the 2016 death of their classmate started Monday.
Day one of the trial started at 8:30 a.m. and went on until nearly 5 p.m. All day it was a tense, emotional, and packed courtroom.
The victim's family on one side and the family members of the three teens charged on the other.
It has been nearly a year since 16-year-old Amy Joyner-Francis died.
"When you sit in the courtroom, there are four families experiencing a great deal amount of pain," said Sherry Dorsey Walker.
Walker is a spokesperson for the Amy Joyner-Francis' family. The family attended day one of the trial and allowed their spokesperson to give one simple message.
"The family is seeking justice, but what is justice when you have lost a child," said Walker.
At the trial, prosecutors are trying to prove that Joyner-Francis died on April 21 of last year, as a result of a school bathroom brawl. The brawl was caught on student cell phone video.
Over a half-dozen witness were called to testify Monday that the three classmate accused of being responsible for Joyner-Francis death, planned the attack the day before.
Attorneys for the three teens charged contend the fight was spontaneous, and Joyner-Francis was an equal participant.
Amy Joyner-Francis died of a pre-existing heart condition, that prosecutors believe was exacerbated by the fight.
Two of the teens on trial are facing criminal conspiracy for their alleged role in planning the fight.
The third teen, seen hitting Joyner-Francis in cell phone video, is facing more serious charges that include criminally negligent homicide.
The trial held in New Castle County Court is not a jury trial. The teens are being tried as juveniles so only a judge will decide the teens fates at the end of this trial.
It's expected to go on for two weeks.
