By Dan Horn
Enquirer staff writer

A 14-year-old boy accused of two murders will find out by the end of the month whether he will face trial as an adult.

The teen, the youngest accused killer in Cincinnati this year, has been linked to the shooting deaths of two men.

After a hearing Monday in juvenile court, Judge Thomas Lipps determined there was enough evidence to go forward with charges against the teen in the May 17 death of George Vance in Over-the-Rhine.

Prosecutors say the teen shot and killed Vance during a struggle that began when the boy snatched a bag of drugs from Vance.

Another teenage boy testified in court Monday that he saw the two struggle in a vacant lot, heard a gunshot and then watched the 27-year-old Vance fall to the ground.

"They was scuffling, and I heard a gunshot," the witness testified. "The guy dropped."

The witness said the accused teen later called him from juvenile detention and asked him to get rid of the gun. He said another boy showed him where to find the gun, which he then threw into the Mill Creek.

The gun was recovered and forensics experts later determined the same weapon had been used in the slaying of David Hutchinson. Hutchinson, 20, was killed near Findlay Market during a robbery, police say.

Prosecutors want to send the teen's case to adult court, where he could face up to life in prison if he is convicted.

The boy's lawyer, Terry Weber, said his client belongs in the juvenile system.

"Our focus is on whether we are going to be able to keep this young man in juvenile court," Weber said. "I think he is a child."

Weber said the teen maintains his innocence and has never been in trouble before. He said several of the prosecution's witnesses, including other juveniles, have "credibility problems."

If Lipps decides to keep the case in juvenile court, the teen could remain in custody until he is 21. But under new sentencing laws, the boy also could receive a "blended sentence" that would allow authorities to hold him longer in an adult prison after he has completed his juvenile sentence.

The judge said he would decide after another court hearing set for July 30.