MOUNT VERNON, Wash., June 3 (UPI) -- A judge in Skagit County, Wash., says a 15-year-old boy is guilty of second-degree manslaughter for the hunting death of a 54-year-old woman.
The Seattle Times said Wednesday a Skagit County Juvenile Court judge convicted the teen, whose identity was not reported, in relation to the August 2008 shooting of Snohomish County resident Pamela Almli.
The teen, who was 14 at the time of the incident, shot and killed Almli with a Tikka .270-caliber rifle while hunting with his teenage brother.
Tuesday's Juvenile Court verdict came after the teen was acquitted on first-degree manslaughter charges by Skagit County Superior Court Judge Susan Cook.
Cook found the teen should face a second-degree charge since there was not enough evidence to prove he knew the target he was aiming at during the incident was a person.
While the teen's attorney has labeled the incident a tragic mistake, prosecutors argued the teen should have identified his hunting target with binoculars instead of recklessly firing at it.
The Times said the teen, who will be sentenced at an unspecified date, is facing up to three months in a juvenile-detention center.
