14-year-old Henrico murder suspect denied bond

The 14-year-old suspect charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 13-year-old Quioccasin Middle School student Lucia Bremer Friday was arraigned Monday in Henrico Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, where Chief Judge Margaret Deglau denied him bond. The suspect appeared on video rather than in person.

The suspect next will face a status hearing May 4 at 2:30 p.m., according to Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, who said it was too early to know whether charges could be elevated or whether the teen will be tried as an adult (something that is permissible under state law).

“We are still within 72 hours of this tragic event happening,” Taylor said. “We are so early in the beginning of his proceedings to get to understand this young man and who he is and what his background is about that we certainly can’t comment as to whether or not. . . that’s something we are going to pursue or not.

Meanwhile, friends, classmates and teachers of Bremer’s at Quioccasin Middle School have spent the past few days remembering her. A group of people wrote her name in flowers in a fence at the school, friends and acquaintances placed luminaries along the trail in the Gayton Forest West subdivision where she was shot, and neighbors in the community have tied green ribbons around their mailboxes in a nod to one of one of her favorite colors.

The suspect also was a student at Quioccasin Middle, several sources have confirmed to the Citizen, though it's unclear if he and Bremer knew each other. Police are continuing to gather information about what might have prompted the shooting, but Sunday night they issued a stern statement denying rumors that were circulating on social media and apparently among some members of the media.

“Speculations about the crime being investigated as a hate crime or being gang related are unfounded,” Henrico Police Lt. Matt Pecka wrote in the release.

Added Chief Eric English: “While homicide investigations are complex and must be investigated thoroughly with a great deal of follow up, at this stage of the investigation, these allegations have no validity or credibility.”

Among those speaking with police Monday, the Citizen has learned: a Quioccasin student who claimed to have received upsetting notes from the suspect last year.

Pecka told the Citizen Monday that police are still investigating how the teen got the gun and whether charges may be filed against its owner.

The suspect was taken into police custody early Saturday afternoon at a home in Raintree – just about half a mile from the site of the shooting and less than a mile from Bremer’s home. Several neighbors have declined the Citizen’s requests for comments about the teen suspect. An American flag frequently flies at the home at which he was detained Saturday.

A GoFundMe page established for the Bremer family had raised nearly $60,000 in less than 24 hours. The effort is designed to provide meals for the family during the coming weeks as it deals with its shocking loss. Any extra funds it collects will be directed to the memorial fund and potential scholarship fund that the Bremers hope to establish in memory of Lucia, according to Michelle Pendleton, Kristen Fournier and Angie Hutchison, the organizers of the GoFundMe page.