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ST. GEORGE — A teenager accused of trying to make a backpack bomb and detonate it at a southern Utah high school will be tried as an adult.
Fifth District Juvenile Judge Paul Dame on Thursday ordered Martin Farnsworth, 16, to face felony charges of attempted murder and using a weapon of mass destruction in district court.
In March, Pine View High School Pine View High School was evacuated after students discovered the smoking backpack near a vending machine. No injuries were reported.
Prosecutors sought to transfer the case to district court where he would face charges as an adult, but the boy's defense attorney argued the juvenile system would have provided better treatment while still keeping the public safe.
"The state is very pleased with the outcome," Angela Adams, deputy Washington County attorney, said Thursday. "By having him charged in district court in the adult system, we feel like we can supervise him longer."
In testimony leading up to Thursday's decision, experts gave different views of the risk the teen may pose to the public. His parents testified he had been bullied, and a psychologist told the courtroom the teen is high-functioning on the autism spectrum, which affects how he deals with emotions.
Defense attorney Stephen Harris said the family on Thursday was absorbing the judge's decision and it was difficult to read the teen's reaction.
"We're naturally disappointed," Harris said, noting the incident happened just a few months after his client's 16th birthday.
"His family's concerned about him and his well-being. They also understand that these are serious charges, and hope they can be worked out in the public's interest and Martin's interest," Harris said.
He emphasized that he believes the teen would respond to treatment in Utah's juvenile system, which focuses on rehabilitating young offenders and can impose penalties such as fines, detention and probation.
Prosecutors argued the autism diagnosis did not fully explain the teen's behavior and said he had a plan to kill people. If he were convicted in the adult system, they argued, a judge would retain greater control of his case after sentencing and the teen could still get resources through the juvenile system until age 18.
Farnsworth is charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder, both first-degree felonies. In May, Dame ordered the teen to stand trial on those charges and others, saying there was enough evidence for the case to move forward.
The teen also is charged with painting "ISIS is comi--" on a school wall at Hurricane High School, and cutting up an American flag at the school and replacing it with a homemade ISIS flag. But those charges will remain in the juvenile system, the judge ruled, saying they were not part of the same episode.
In March, the teen told investigators he was responsible for the device, graffiti and flag, and that he did not really care if people got hurt, according to video shown in court.
A search of the teen's laptop showed he had read webpages on how to build bombs and a fuse and researched ISIS, an FBI agent testified in June. The device that started smoking could have started a large fire but would not have exploded, according to a bomb expert who testified in court.
The judge's order was immediate, and he is expected to issue a written analysis in the coming days. A hearing in 5th District Court has not yet been scheduled.
