Teen charged as adult in Roseville stabbing

ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WJBK) - A 15-year-old faced a judge on accusations that he stabbed another teenager in the heart.

The young man, whom the judge asked not be identified in the media, is being tried as an adult for the stabbing of 16-year-old Zachary Martin. According to witnesses, Martin was stabbed by the other teen after an argument about a girl.

The suspect's father, Timothy Williams, said his son did exactly what was asked of him.

"He came right home from the park. police beat him to the house - and I'm talking within minutes - he came walking down the sidewalk and told the truth right there."

Not only that, Williams said his son was ambushed when he got the park.

"It's just devastating to think he went up to the park to stab somebody. Like his attentions were to go up there and make sure this kid knew what he said about his girl and if he didn't like it tough. That ain't the case here," Williams said his son was hit in the head and he stabbed the boy out of self defense. "He said he got jumped. And he took the knife from one of the kids and when he came at him. He ended up stabbing him."

The teen is no stranger to legal trouble. Police say they've had 20 encounters with him since 2013 for drugs and other non-violent crimes.

"I asked him right there I said why didn't you run. Why did you take the ass kicking? What are you doing? Why would you do something like this? He couldn't get away," Williams said.

The suspect's attorney said he battles anxiety and depression and was diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age. She argued that he would be better suited in his dad's care than in jail.

But the judge disagreed.

"The father wants to be in charge of taking care of him. He hasn't done a very good job so far," the judge said.

The judge ruled that he could not see how someone would stab another person in the heart in self-defnse. For that reason, he set bond at $100,000.