ALAMOSA — Testimony presented in court to determine if a juvenile, accused in the Oct. 27, 2022, shooting of Alamosa Police Department (APD) Officer Mollee Heeney and Alamosa resident Ricardo Rangel, should be tried as an adult came to an end on Thursday with closing arguments to be made by counsel on Friday.

12^th Judicial District Judge Crista Newmyer-Olsen stated that she will issue an order in the case by Sept. 15.

The proceedings, referred to as a “transfer hearing," followed the preliminary hearing where District Judge Newmyer-Olsen ruled that the juvenile be formally charged with five felonies, including two counts of attempted murder with deliberation, and a misdemeanor.

It is now up to the judge to decide if it is appropriate to transfer the juvenile’s case to adult court for prosecution. If the decision is made to transfer the case and it results in a conviction, the juvenile, who was 15 years old at the time of the alleged shooting, would be subject to the same consequences as an adult accused of a similar crime. If the decision is made for the case to remain in juvenile court and it leads to a conviction, the consequences are more appropriate for someone who is still a minor.

The transfer hearing had a distinctly different focus from the preliminary hearing that concentrates on the facts of the alleged shooting. The transfer hearing allows the court to take a broader view of factors to be considered in making its ruling.

Colorado statute lists 14 factors to be considered in deciding whether to try a juvenile as an adult, including the seriousness of the offense, the juvenile’s age, his or her prior record, and openness to treatment or rehabilitation. Additional factors include, but aren’t limited to, the impact of the offense on the victim and — discussed in depth in this case — the “maturity” of the juvenile including “his or her home, environment, emotional attitude and pattern of living.”

Although the judge is to consider all 14 factors, it’s up to the discretion of the judge to decide which factors to weigh more heavily than others when making a ruling.

A more in-depth look at the testimony presented in court and the long-term consequences of the judge’s ruling will be covered in the Saturday edition of the Valley Courier.

The juvenile is charged in connection with an event that occurred on Oct. 27, 2022, when APD Officer Heeney was dispatched to the 1200 block of Denver in Alamosa on the report of a disturbance in progress. Upon arriving on the scene, Heeney encountered the juvenile who was holding a weapon and allegedly fired several rounds at the officer, striking her in the leg and the shoulder. A second victim, Rangel, was also shot in the altercation.