The criminal defense of a 15-year-old boy accused of killing a friend last year gets under way as the case goes to trial, a year after the teenage girl's death.

The boy has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm while committing a crime and theft in the Jan. 31, 2011 shooting of a 14-year-old girl. Prosecutors claim the defendant, from Harlem, Georgia, shot the girl as she worked at a computer inside her home. The body of the girl, who was in the eighth grade, was taken outside.

The girl's older sister walked into the room and the boy rushed inside. He told the sister that he didn't know where his friend was and that he saw an intruder outside. Later, he recanted that story and said he accidentally shot the girl with her father's handgun as he was handling it.

But investigators did not believe that story. They allegedly found the owner's manual for the gun, the gun case and ammunition in the boy's home. Valuables missing from the girl's home also were allegedly found in the boy's house.

The gun was located in the woods.

The boy is in the Regional Youth Detention Center, held without bond. At a court appearance in May 2011, he pleaded not guilty.

Because of the age of the victim and her accused killer, the case has drawn the interest of national media. Cameras from the cable television show "In Session" will be in the courtroom.

He will likely face serious consequences if convicted. It's important that his defense team ensures that none of his legal rights were violated during the investigation of the crime. It's important that the boy's life not be prematurely ruined before he ever has a chance at rehabilitation.

Source: The Augusta Chronicle, "Harlem teen's murder trial starts today in Evans," Valerie Rowell, Feb. 5, 2012