15-Year-Old Denied Bond in Fatal Stabbing of His Great-Grandmother

Gevin Prince appeared in today, charged with fatally stabbing his 77-year-old great-grandmother with a samurai sword before getting into a standoff with police Monday.

Prince was reported to be 14 but turned 15 Aug. 11 and will be tried as an adult in Superior Court according to Georgia law.

"There's a misconception that there's a decision to be made," Douglas County District Attorney David McDade said, "but Georgia law says that this falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Superior Court, which means adult court."

Prince appeared before Judge Robert J. James at 9:30 a.m. for his first court appearance.

"That's the first step in a criminal prosecution," McDade said. "He was advised of the charges, and the judge asked him if he understood them. He told the judge he did."

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Prince is charged with "malice murder and four counts of aggravated assault -- including two counts against two juvenile neighbors who tried to intervene to stop the attack. Prince allegedly chased the two with the samurai sword he used in the attacks, but did not injure them, according to Douglas County District Attorney David McDade."

The AJC report continues, "The great-grandmother who died in the Monday attack was identified as Mary Joan Gibbs, 77. The grandmother was identified as Laura Prince, 55. Gibbs and Prince were mother and daughter."

As of approximately 3 p.m., Travis Glahn has been named Prince's public defender, McDade said.

The District Attorney's Office recommended no bond be set, and the judge agreed.

"He's certainly a danger to the community," McDade said. "It's my goal to protect the public.

"It's my understanding that he has a history in . Part of his dealings there included mental health evaluations."

McDade said he doesn't know what conclusions came from those evaluations, but he intends to find out.

A preliminary hearing is expected to be held in the next few days.