Judge Rules Suspected Teen Rapist Can Attend School

A Silver Spring teenager accused of raping his ex-girlfriend on a Rockville street – an incident followed by the 19-year-old victim’s death later that night en route to a hospital – can attend public school, a judge has ruled.

Marquiz Turner, 16, was charged with rape in the June 12 incident in front of the Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse in Rockville. He was released from jail last week on $100,000 bail, Bethesda Magazine reports.

As part of his release, a judge ruled Turner could attend school. Turner is enrolled in a special program that serves children who are on the autism spectrum at Winston Churchill High School, according to his attorney.

SEE ALSO: Teen Dies on Way to Hospital After Ex Raped Her on Street: Report

However, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig told WTOP that Turner will not attend classes in a Montgomery County Public School.

If the school system is required to provide education services to a student facing criminal charges, “We will do so in a way that proactively ensures the safety and security of all students,” Tofig told WTOP.

Conditions of Turner’s release require him to be confined to his Silver Spring home under the supervision of his mother, although he may attend school, meet with his attorney and visit medical professionals.

Court documents say Turner told police he believed his ex-girlfriend agreed to have sex during the movie and was upset when she would not. The teenager reportedly acknowledged raping the woman on the street near the courthouse, where sheriff’s deputies saw the pair struggling.

The woman was in an ambulance on her way to be examined at a hospital when she died. A cause of death from the medical examiner’s office has not yet been released.

Turner has been charged as an adult; his attorney plans to ask that the case be transferred to juvenile court, according to the magazine.