Two juveniles have been arrested, and one has been charged, in relation to the death of a 17-year-old boy in South Bend.
Terez Parker Jr. was shot and killed, back in March, in the 2000 block of Roger Street during an apparent transaction involving a firearm that turned into a robbery attempt.
One of the suspects, 16-year-old Rafael Diaz-Garcia, has been charged in adult court with dangerous possession of a firearm and attempted providing of a firearm to an ineligible person. He’ll be arraigned on Friday, Sep. 9.
Another juvenile, who was just 15 years old at the time was arrested on a felony murder charge and is being held in the Juvenile Justice Center.
The Prosecutor’s Office is filing a delinquency petition in Probate Court to have the boy transferred to adult court.
The following was sent to 95.3 MNC from the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office:
Today, a juvenile male was detained for his role in the death of Terez Parker Jr., 17, of South Bend. Mr. Parker died as a result of a gunshot wound on March 18, 2022, in the 2000 block of Roger Street. The juvenile suspect was arrested for Felony Murder and is currently being housed in the Juvenile Justice Center.
Because the juvenile was 15 years old at the time of Mr. Parker’s death, Indiana Law requires that a delinquency petition be filed in Probate Court. The Prosecutor’s Office is in the process of filing a delinquency petition.
Pursuant to statute, the Juvenile Probation Department must prepare a preliminary inquiry for purposes of a detention determination. That preliminary inquiry will be forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office and be the basis for the formal filing of a petition of delinquency y the Prosecutor’s Office.
Upon the filing of the petition in Probate Court, the Prosecutor’s Office will release the name f the juvenile.
In certain circumstances, a juvenile may be waived to adult court. In this instance, the prosecutor’s Office is also preparing a motion to waive jurisdiction from the Probate Court o the Superior Court. The Probate Court will then set the matter for hearing following the river filing.
As a result of the same investigation, Rafael Diaz-Garcia, 16, of South Bend was charged with the following:
Count I: Dangerous Possession of a Firearm
Count II: Attempted Providing a Firearm to an Ineligible Person
While acts by a person under the age of 18 years are generally filed as petitions of delinquency in the Juvenile Court, pursuant to I.C. 31-30-1-4, an individual who has been charged with certain crimes and was at least 16 years of age at the time that the alleged act as committed must be charged as an adult. In this instance, the charges involving Mr. Diaz-Garcia fit into that category. Therefore, he has been charged in Superior Court. The sentencing range for a level 5 felony is one to six years.
Mr. Diaz-Garcia is currently being held at the St. Joseph County Jail and is expected to be arraigned Friday. The Prosecutor’s Office is making the probable cause affidavit and charging information in Mr. Diaz-Garcia’s case available to the media.
These criminal and delinquency charges result from an investigation conducted by the South Bend Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit.
Please be advised that this release and the related charges are merely accusations and that both juveniles are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
