Two teens charged with the March 19 murder of Wyoming High School junior Michael White appeared in court Wednesday, where defense attorneys asked for more time to prepare their cases.
Quentin Royce Schafer and Carlos Santiago Delgado, both 15, are being prosecuted as adults for the beating and stabbing death of White, whose body was found at Wyoming’s Ideal Park.
A knife and brass knuckles recovered at the scene are believed to be the murder weapons, according to sources familiar with the case.
Attorneys for the pair agreed to waive what is called the “14-day rule’’ to allow them more time to prepare. Michigan court rules mandate that a preliminary examination must be held within 14 days of an arraignment.
Wyoming District Court Judge Pablo Cortes allowed the waiver and set a preliminary exam for May 18.
Delgado was arrested several hours after White’s body was found. Delgado “confessed under Miranda to stabbing and beating Michael White,’’ according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Wyoming District Court.
Police found bloody clothes at a home on South Division Avenue in Cutlerville where the teen was staying, court records show.
Schafer was arrested a few days later during a traffic stop in Northeast Grand Rapids.
Schafer was seen with White the night of the slaying and was identified by witnesses as being with the victim, court records show.
Police recovered a weapon attributed to Schafer, but court records do not say what it was. A motive has not been disclosed.
The Kent County Prosecutor’s Office opted to use Michigan’s automatic waiver law, which allows prosecutors to charge 15 and 16-year-olds as adults for serious crimes, such as murder.
If the two are convicted as adults, a separate sentencing hearing will be held to determine how much time they will spend behind bars.
Schafer and Delgado are being held in the Kent County Jail.