Sixteen year old Eric Hainstock will face murder charges as an adult. A Sauk County judge ruled Monday the teen's defense only met one of three criteria necessary to move the case to juvenile court.
Hainstock is charged with killing his Weston High School principal John Klang last September.
During five days of hearings, prosecutors argued Hainstock is a manipulative liar who is trying to escape the consequences of his actions. They also expressed concern about the message a juvenile court referral would send.
The defense argued Hainstock was a victim of physical and sexual abuse and was crying out for help. Attorneys argued the teen would be able to get better mental treatment in a juvenile setting.
John Klang's widow, Sue Klang, was present during the ruling and said she is satisfied with the ruling. Not happy, just satisfied. She doesn't think she would have objected if the judge ruled the other way in favor of juvenile court saying, "there's no good that comes out of this."
The next step is the murder trial for Eric Hainstock in adult court. No word on whether the defense will appeal the judge's ruling.
