MURRYSVILLE, Pa. — The judge presiding over the Franklin Regional High School stabbings case has denied the defendant’s defense team permission to file an appeal to get the case moved back to juvenile court.
Patrick Thomassey represents Alex Hribal, who is now 18, and charged with stabbing 20 fellow students and a security guard at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville in April 2014 when he was 16.
"We need to change the juvenile law. Other states have extended the age of jurisdiction to 25, if that was the case here in Pennsylvania I think this case would been done a long time ago," said Thomassey.
Thomassey said Hribal is not getting the mental health care he needs inside of the adult prison system.
"I don't think he's getting the help he needs in Westmoreland County Jail. I tried to get him into juvenile detention centers for 2 years. No one would take him. That's pathetic," he said.
Thomassey acknowledges Hribal committed the crimes, but wanted the Superior Court to move the case to juvenile court, where Hribal would face no sanctions after turning 21.
The district attorney said Thomassey could still file the appeal directly with the Superior Court and they would rule, or wait until after the trial an appeal if Hribal is convicted.
Hribal is expected to return to court on June 20 for a pretrial hearing.