Boy, 13, Denies Ballpark Slaying

The 13-year-old boy accused of shattering a Palmdale youth baseball community with a lethal bat attack on a 15-year-old acquaintance appeared in court Monday and denied murder charges.

The boy, whose name is being withheld because of his age, is accused of clubbing Jeremy Rourke at least twice after Jeremy teased him about losing a game. He is being charged with murder in juvenile court.

The youth’s denial is equivalent to a “not guilty” plea in adult court, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Lonnie Felker, the head prosecutor at Sylmar Juvenile Court, where the boy was arraigned. Felker declined to comment further.

California law bars trying children younger than 14 as adults. If convicted, the 13-year-old faces a maximum penalty of detention at a California Youth Authority prison until he is 25.

“We feel the maximum penalty is more than fair. At 25 years old, he’ll be able to return to life,” said Jeremy’s father, Brian Rourke. “No matter what the penalty is, nothing’s going to match up to what our son’s life was worth.”

The 13-year-old’s attorney, William McKinney, could not be reached for comment.

Jeremy’s April 12 death devastated Palmdale’s tight-knit Pony League families, who have known one another for years and whose children have grown up playing ball together.

Jeremy was a former Pony League all-star who was at the ballpark that night to watch his younger brother play. Jeremy’s younger brother is a friend and teammate of the 13-year-old.

Witnesses said Jeremy and the 13-year-old were standing near a snack bar when Jeremy began teasing the younger boy about losing a game. The pair shoved each other, then the 13-year-old took an aluminum bat out of an equipment bag and allegedly struck Jeremy on the leg and over the head.

“It’s a shock,” Brian Rourke said. “For us, that was our little safe haven, to be able to go to that field, have our kids play and keep them off the street.”

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for May 24 in Lancaster before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard E. Naranjo.