Local News in Brief : Boy Cleared in Slaying
- Share via
Calling the slaying a justifiable homicide, prosecutors Friday declined to file murder charges against a 15-year-old Inglewood boy who shot his stepfather while the man was choking the youth’s mother.
“The legal theory is that he was coming to the aid of his mother, who was in a life-threatening situation,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Al Botello said. “So he used reasonable force.”
The shooting occurred July 17 during an argument between the teen-ager’s stepfather, Derrick Nims, 33, and the youth’s mother, Olivia, at the family’s home.
At one point in the altercation, Nims began choking his wife outside the house, screaming, “I’m gonna kill you, I’m gonna kill you,” Botello said. The youth then grabbed a .38-caliber revolver from his parents’ bedroom and shot Nims through the heart, killing him.
Authorities believe Nims had a history of violence toward his wife and stepson.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
