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A 15-year-old Wausau boy charged with first degree reckless homicide in the Feb. 27 fatal stabbing of a Wausau 8th grader will head to trial. Marathon County judge Jill Falstad made the ruling Thursday during a preliminary hearing for Dylan Yang.
Jay Kronenwetter, Yang's defense attorney had asked Falstad to send the case to juvenile court with a charge of second degree reckless homicide. Falstad disagreed, saying the evidence supported a finding of probable cause and utter disregard for human life.
Prosecutors called three witnesses during Thursday's preliminary hearing.
Court documents state 13-year-old Isaiah Powell and Yang were in rival gangs.
"Based on some of the acronyms it appeared there were some gang undertones," said Wausau Police Lt. Todd Baeten during court testimony, regarding a Facebook conversation on a laptop shown to officers by Powell's mother.
Police said Powell and his friends were driven to an area near Yang's house by Nia Phillips, 20, the evening he died.
"Dylan stated a vehicle approached and four or five male individuals exited. He later identified Isaiah Powell was one of the individuals," Baeten said. "[Yang] said one individual later identified as Isaiah Powell removed a handgun."
Yang told Baeten he saw Powell fire the gun, went back inside to the kitchen and retrieved a knife. When he returned a friend had tackled Isaiah and the two were fighting in the road.
'[Yang] said he ran toward Isaiah and Troy and using the knife, he stabbed Isaiah in the back twice," said Baeten "He returned [the knife to the drawer in the kitchen."
Lt. Baeten also testified that he had never met Yang prior to the investigation, having helped to investigate several gang-related incidents in the past.
In separate testimony Thursday, Wausau Police Det. Jon Kindlarski said witnesses told officers Yang had the knife on the porch prior to the stabbing.
Yang told police during an interview, he and another teen were sitting on the porch of his house when Powell exited a vehicle and began shooting a BB gun at them. Yang said his his friend ran toward Powell. Yang said at one point Powell was on his friend and was punching him. Yang told police that's when he went into his house and grabbed the knife and stabbed Powell in the back.
Powell had been stabbed twice in the back, according to the criminal complaint.
Kindlarski testified he found the suspected murder weapon in Yang's kitchen and the BB gun in two separate pieces in a snowbank following the shooting.
Marathon County Chief Deputy Medical Examiner Sherri Arlen said Powell had already died by the time she was called to the hospital the night of the stabbing. Arlen also noted two stab wounds to the back.
Arlen said autopsy results the following day confirmed the death was caused by the stab wounds. Results indicated the lower stab wound punctured Powell's diaphragm, liver, right kidney, lung and inferior vena cava, a major vein
Yang remains in custody in juvenile facility on $1 million cash bond. The bond was continued at Thursday's hearing.
Courts documents state Phillips also drove Powell to the hospital where he later died of his injuries. She is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor resulting in death. A judge has already ruled there is enough evidence for her case to head to trial.
