(Indianapolis, IN) - The case of a New Carlisle teenager who murdered his six-year-old neighbor received a hearing from the Indiana Court of Appeals.

 

Last March 16-year-old Anthony Hutchens was sentenced to 64 years in prison for molesting and killing Grace Ross near their New Carlisle apartment complex in 2021.

 

The court was asked to consider whether Hutchens should be handed over to the adult correctional system.

 

Their finding, filed earlier this week, is that Hutchens needs rehabilitative services that the juvenile system cannot provide. Judges also said they found no evidence that Hutchens’ autism would justify treating him as a juvenile.

 

The court’s memorandum summarized testimony from two psychologists who recommended that Hutchens remain in the juvenile system. Also included was testimony from a probation supervisor who reported that Hutchens referred to himself as a psychopath. “Give me any object and I’ll find a way to kill someone with it,” Hutchens allegedly said, shortly after being taken into custody. Testimony also alleged that Hutchens talked about ways to torture someone with snake poison and worked on “strengthening his hands in case he would need them for violent reasons.”

 

Ultimately judges agreed that the juvenile court was prudent in waiving jurisdiction. “The horrific nature of Hutchens’s crimes,” they wrote, “supports a conclusion that waiving him into adult court best serves the safety and welfare of the community.”