MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (KMSP) -
It was a tearful day in court as family members of 17-year-old Anthony Mitchell waited for him to make his first appearance to face murder charges on Wednesday.
Many of Mitchell's family members were hugging and crying as they waited for him to enter the 1:30 p.m. hearing in juvenile court.
Mitchell, who has no criminal record, is accused of murder in the death of his 16-year-old girlfriend, Anna Hurd.
Hurd's body was found in a wooded area near walking trails in Hillside Park. In interviews with FOX 9 News and with police, Mitchell said he found her slain after she did not arrive at a friend's house; however, prosecutors say his stories don't add up.
Members of Hurd's family were also in court on Wednesday. When the judge ordered Mitchell to remain in custody instead of allowing him to be released to his parents, Hurd's grieving father said, "Amen."
"I wish I could feel the pain my daughter went through and take it all away for her," Patrick Hurd said.
Wednesday marked the first time Hurd's loved ones were able to lay eyes on Mitchell since his arrest, and they say his family members have kept to themselves.
"I've never been apologized to," Patrick Hurd said. "No, 'I'm sorry for your loss,' nothing formally. It's just like they are protecting their son, which any parent would do."
Although prosecutors want Mitchell to face the charges as an adult, Hurd's family members say even that won't be enough and they wish Minnesota had the death penalty they are accustomed to in Texas.
"I would definitely, definitely feel better if he was getting the death penalty," Hurd's stepfather, Benny Hutchings, told FOX 9 News by phone. "Even that would not make us feel better, but an eye for an eye, you know?"
