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A teen suspected of luring an Alabama high school student to be violently murdered allegedly managed to sneak a gun into a police station before hiding it in the trash of an interrogation room.
The 17-year-old suspect was 16 when he allegedly shot Ronald Martez Bennett Jr, 18, alongside several other masked gunmen on February 1, 2025, in Birmingham, according to Al.com.
The teen suspect was arrested on May 2, 2025, on a capital murder charge, three months after the shooting.
The teen, who has not been identified due to his age, is the only person charged so far.
The suspect appeared before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell on Wednesday, where testimony revealed the suspect had a gun on him during his arrest and subsequent interrogation, according to the outlet.
As the teen was handcuffed in a police interrogation room, he managed to hide a firearm at the bottom of a trash can between a container and its liner.
Former Birmingham homicide detective Nicholas Clark was a witness during the hearing who acknowledged the suspect was allegedly in possession of a gun during his arrest.
Clark noted that the gun did not match any of the shell casings officials found from at least two different guns.
Ronald Martez Bennett Jr was fatally shot by several masked gunmen on February 1, 2025, in Birmingham, Alabama
Bennett was allegedly lured by a 17-year-old who was 16 at the time of the slaying
However, he added that there was a 'hit' that connected the weapon to a different homicide that had also occurred.
Deputy District Attorney Nick Taggart claimed that the night Bennett was murdered, the teen suspect messaged him on Instagram to meet at a location.
Officials said when the Huffman High School senior arrived, the masked gunmen opened fire without exchanging any words.
'He brought him there for the sole purpose of having him murdered,' Taggart said.
The group of masked killers fired 26 shots at Bennet Jr., according to Birmingham's Shot Spotter gunfire detection system, cited by the outlet.
Bennett was struck three times in the neck and spinal cord. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Clark had testified that a male friend of Bennett's was with him at the time of the shooting.
The friend also confirmed that the victim was communicating with someone who sent them a location to meet but did not recall the reason why, said Clark.
Bennett was hit with three shots to the neck and spinal cord. His friend was with him at the time and tried to take him to the hospital, but he died at the scene.
Bennett was a senior at Huffman High School and was 18 years old at the time of his death
The friend attempted to get Bennett out of the driver's seat to take him to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
The former detective testified that the teen suspect's phone was discovered through forensic analysis of Bennett's phone.
'It's this defendant's phone that was at that location, this defendant's phone that brought (the victim) there, and it's this defendant that post-Miranda denied knowing him at all, denied knowing that phone number at all, denied knowing the victim,' said Taggart in his closing arguments.
'He rejects the idea that he is involved in this case in any sort of way. Yet it's undeniable from his cell phone and he shared his location.'
'Regardless, even if the defense counsel says he's not a shooter, we can't show he's the shooter, the aiding and abetting statute shows that he should be charged equally,' Taggart added.
The suspect allegedly told police that he was at home during the time of the killing under electronic monitoring, but police discovered that was untrue, according to the outlet.
Bennett pictured with his mother, Brittney Monique
The teen's attorney, Darryl Bender, who believes the shooting was the result of a drug deal gone wrong, argued his client should be granted bond.
'If this court were to grant a bond, could (the suspect) leave and go to Mexico and live the rest of his life?' Bender said.
'He doesn't have the means to do that. There's no chance of him leaving.'
'He is not a threat to anyone. He is not a threat to society as a whole,' the attorney. added. 'This was an isolated incident where you had a drug deal go bad.'
'To have him sit in the Jefferson County Jail for 2 ½ or three years until this case can be tried, I think would be unfair,' he said.
The suspect was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail in March after being held in juvenile detention.
The judge said the bond decision would be under review; however, the outlet noted it would likely not be made public due to the suspect's age.
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