Teen Convicted In Off-Campus Death Of Alexandria High School Student

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A judge found a teen guilty Tuesday in the killing of Luis Mejia Hernandez, an Alexandria City High School student, at the Bradlee Shopping Center last year.

The defendant in the case is the 16-year-old Alexandria resident, now a 17-year-old, that Alexandria Police arrested after the fatal stabbing during an off-campus fight not far from the high school. The conviction resulted from charges of second-degree murder and mob violence, the Washington Post reported. Sentencing is expected in late September.

Evidence presented in court showed "tensions" between two student groups led them to meet up and fight at the Bradlee Shopping Center, according to a detective's testimony reported by the Post. While lawyers on both side of the case claimed the 17-year-old and Mejia Hernandez, 18, were not involved in gangs, prosecutors claim the defendant came with a knife and joined the fight without being provoked.

A key piece of evidence in the case is a video from the 17-year-old's phone showing him stabbing Mejia Hernandez, according to the Post. The 17-year-old's lawyer claimed he acted in self defense during the fight and that Mejia Hernandez brought a folding knife to the fight. The video evidence showed Mejia Hernandez fighting others, but there was no indication he used a weapon.

Mejia Hernandez had been a senior at Alexandria City High School and died not long before graduation.

Read more about the case in the Washington Post.