Judge Veronica Galvan announced the ruling Wednesday, saying the severity of the allegations and the teen’s significant mental health needs made the case an exceptional circumstance for adult prosecution. Galvan said the adult system would be better equipped to address public safety and therapeutic needs if there is a conviction.

The teen was 15 when he was arrested in October 2024 after deputies responded to a reported shooting at the Humiston family’s home on Lake Alice Road. He faces five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Investigators say the teen killed his family members and tried to make it appear that his 13-year-old brother was responsible. According to the case account, the teen initially told detectives that his brother had shot the family and then died by suicide. His 11-year-old sister survived and went to a neighbor for help.

Prosecutors argued that the teen planned the killings and that juvenile court could have allowed him to move to a group home within a year. In September, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jamie Kvistad told the court that the teen staged the scene and that his surviving sister saw him checking whether his younger siblings were dead.

Defense attorneys opposed adult prosecution, saying the teen had endured severe physical abuse by his parents, including food deprivation, and was affected by the family’s religious and conspiratorial beliefs. The defense plans to seek review of Galvan’s decision.

If the case had remained in juvenile court, a conviction could have resulted in confinement only until the teen’s 23rd birthday. Prosecutors are expected to file a new case in Superior Court later this month, after which the juvenile case will be dismissed.

Galvan’s order barring media from showing or naming the teen remains in effect.