Vega, who was 16 at the time of the stabbing, was tried as an adult and convicted by a judge Tuesday of second-degree murder and mob violence resulting in Mejia’s death. Police detectives found the video of the stabbing, a crucial piece of evidence in the trial, while searching Vega’s phone.
Lord argued that Vega acted with malice, a key element needed to prove second-degree murder, even if he did not plan to kill Mejia. By his own admission, Vega went to the shopping center knowing there would be a fight, Lord said, adding that Vega was standing adjacent to a police officer on the sidelines before he joined the fray and stabbed Mejia.
Vega elected not to have a trial by jury and was convicted by Circuit Court Judge James C. Clark. The teen has been held at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center since his arrest last year, and he now could be sentenced to decades in prison. Before the trial this week, Norton and defense attorney Sean A.O. Sherlock argued unsuccessfully that the warrant used to search Vega’s cellphone was overbroad and unconstitutional.