The Indiana Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a Kosciusko County boy who was sent to prison at age 12 for helping to kill his friend's stepfather.
Paul Gingerich was an 80-pound sixth-grader at Wawasee Middle School at the time of the crime. He is now 14 years old and serving a 30-year sentence, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. That conviction was overturned on Tuesday.
It was argued that Gingerich did not get a fair hearing when his case was waived from juvenile court to adult court, and that the defense did not have the opportunity to contact witnesses or conduct a psychological examination.
The opinion sends the case back to juvenile court, from which Gingerich was waived, for further proceedings.
