14-year-old Robert Humbles will plead to voluntary manslaughter in fatal shooting

CEDAR RAPIDS - Fourteen-year-old Robert Humbles shot and killed 15-year-old Aaron Richardson late this summer after their two 'rival groups” faced off in person over threats circulating on social media and text messages, trial information released Tuesday shows.

Humbles was charged Friday with first-degree murder. But now he will plead Dec. 8 to lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter, reckless use of a firearm resulting in serious injury and going armed with intent, according to Assistant Linn County Attorney Nic Scott. The teen faces 25 years on all charges, the sentences of which would run consecutively, a plea agreement shows.

The two groups met Sept. 6 near 361 16th Ave. SE. Richardson and another youth who was not charged were yelling and in possession of a gun, the court information states. Then Humbles 'unlawfully and intentionally” killed Richardson in a 'sudden, violent, and irresistible passion” following the threats posted on Facebook and written in text messages, records show.

While Humbles fired multiple times, Richardson was struck once in the abdomen, Scott said. Cedar Rapids police previously said Richardson ran to a house in the 300 block of 16th Street SE for help but died after surgery.

That a teenager was killed - and another later accused in his death - marks what many consider one of the worst weeks during months of gun violence afflicting the city this year. In 2015, Cedar Rapids police fielded 90 reports of shootings.

During a hearing Friday, Humbles was waived into adult court but was charged as a youthful offender. That means a juvenile court judge will sentence him to a juvenile facility, such as Eldora State Training School for Boys, until he turns 18. He then will be sent to district or adult court and a judge will decide to release him or sentence him to serve out the remainder of his 25-year sentence in prison.

Scott said the Iowa Department of Corrections recommended that Humbles be charged as a youthful offender and he offered the plea because there were many issues with the witnesses coming forward and telling investigators what happened that evening.

'This was a tragic incident, involving these youths, and we don't have all the information but the police investigators did a good job cobbling together what happened that day,” Scott said. 'I can't say Aaron had a gun or if it was another and don't know where they got the guns. That's still under investigation.”

Humbles is being represented by Johnson County Public Defender Peter Persaud and Assistant Public Defender Rachel Antonuccio, who were not available for comment Tuesday.

Humbles remains in jail on $1 million bail. He was transferred to Jones County Jail pending sentencing.

The Linn County Jail can't house juveniles separately from adults, which the law requires, and the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center has a policy that restricts it from housing juveniles charged as adults with first-degree murder.

Antonuccio said last week she had concerns because Humbles, while in juvenile detention, was able to have interactions with other youths and continue school studies, but will be isolated while held in Jones County.

Last week, Antonuccio said she planned to file a motion asking the court to consider moving Humbles back to juvenile detention pending his plea. That motion hadn't been filed as of Tuesday.