Fresno, Apr 23 (AP) A teenager accused of molesting and drowning a 4-year-old neighbor boy has been convicted of first-degree murder.
A judge found 15-year-old Raul Castro guilty of murder today, as well as lewd and lascivious conduct and sodomy. The judge found Castro not guilty of kidnapping.
Castro was tried as an adult in the October 2009 killing of Alex Mercado in California. Castro was 14 when he drowned the preschooler in a bathtub after the child said he would tell his mother about the sexual assault. Castro hid the body inside a clothes dryer.
The teen confessed in taped interviews with detectives.
Castro's attorney argued the teen was mentally ill and did not intend to kill Alex.
A judge decided the case after Castro waived his right to a jury trial.