Two teens are charged with murder in NKY. The county's top prosecutor says that's rare
Two teenagers are being tried as adults in connection with a double shooting in Covington that left one man dead and another wounded early this year.
Joseph McMeans Jr., 15, and Jamareon Jones-Snapp, also 15, appeared in court Friday via video conference for an arraignment before Kenton County Circuit Court Judge Patricia Summe. They were indicted last week on charges of murder, robbery and assault.
They both pleaded not guilty.
The Enquirer usually doesn't name minors charged with crimes but is identifying McMeans and Jones-Snapp because their case has been transferred to adult court.
McMeans and Jones-Snapp are accused of fatally wounding 23-year-old Selvin Alvarado Xorxe and injuring Hector Saur, then 23, during a robbery in the 200 block of East 20th Street on the evening of Jan. 6.
Xorxe died three days later at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, officials said. Saur was shot in the leg.
While both teens participated in the robbery, it was McMeans who held the gun and shot the two men, according to Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders.
Xorxe and Saur were targeted because they're Hispanic, Sanders said, adding the teens believed the two men would be carrying more cash on them as opposed to keeping it in a bank account.
The prosecutor said he doesn't believe the shooting was a hate crime, but rather a robbery that got out of hand.
McMeans and Jones-Snapp likely didn't intend to kill anyone, he said.
Prosecutor: Murder prosecutions for teens are rare in Kenton County
While Hamilton County has in the last two years seen an unprecedented number of teens charged in homicides, Sanders said those cases are rare in his jurisdiction. He did acknowledge that Kenton County is facing a growing problem of violence perpetrated by juveniles, particularly street robberies.
"These are the youngest defendants I've ever prosecuted for murder," he told The Enquirer after Friday's hearing.
Another teen, Taquan Estes, is being tried as an adult for an April 2022 shooting in Covington that injured three children and one of the alleged shooters. Estes is 18 years old now but was only 17 at the time of the shooting.
Sanders confirmed Jones-Snapp is related to Ashley Snapp, 35, who was sentenced in November to 30 months in prison for her role in the fight that preceded last year's shooting.
Prosecutors are uncertain of their exact relationship.
Trial set for early next year
A tentative trial date for McMeans and Jones-Snapp has been set for Jan. 9, 2024.
Both teens are being held at the Fayette Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Lexington, court records show. McMeans' bond is set at $250,000 and Jones-Snapp's bond is set at $100,000.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Teens charged in fatal Covington double shooting being tried as adults
