Father testifies in reverse waiver hearing for boy, 12, charged with killing his mom

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The 12-year-old boy charged with killing his own mother in Milwaukee appeared in a Wauwatosa juvenile court again on Tuesday, March 12, for the continuation of a reverse waiver hearing.

Questions continue to linger with regard to whether the boy will be tried as a minor or as an adult.

The boy was automatically charged as an adult for allegedly shooting and killing his own mother in November of 2022.

Two other doctor witnesses were brought in to testify on their expertise knowledge.

Dr. Steven Dykstra was up first on the stand and took the majority of the time answering questions from both sides. He has worked as a psychologist for more than 30 years and is currently working with the Milwaukee County CORE Program, helping youth deal with episodes of psychosis.

"For some of those kids, once they start showing symptoms, going on to schizophrenia may, in fact, be close to inevitable," he said.

The attorneys kept bringing up Dr. Michael Caldwell's descriptive diagnosis, when he took the stand Monday, categorizing the boy as having "schizophreniform disorder."

On Tuesday, Dr. Dykstra said the Mendota Mental Health Institute is controlled by the criminal justice system and their priority is not treatment.

"A youth who has some place on the schizophrenia spectrum, who would be sentenced to the department of corrections at a young age, let's say 13 maybe 14, do you have concerns?" asked Tanner Kilander, the boy's attorney.

"…this is an approach that says we may identify this need when you first come in, if we know you're going to be in here for five or 10 years, we're not going to prioritize you until you get closer to your release date," answered Dr. Dykstra.

Psychologist Dr. Karyn Gust-Brey was also scheduled to testify Tuesday but after a turn of events, the boy's father took the stand instead.

"To me, I feel like something is missing, something is wrong so to speak," he said. "Even with us talking, he has yet to say anything in regards to his mother and me knowing how the relationship that they had, he has yet to say anything regarding his mom."

The boy's father also said he believes the case should be dealt with in juvenile court.

"It's not so much because he's my son, it's just the right thing to do," he added.

The defense has rested its case. Other testimonies have been pushed back to late April. The judge could potentially decide the boy's fate then.

Last July, the judge deemed the minor competent to stand trial as an adult after hearing multiple doctors testify during the summer. Shortly after that decision however, the boy's attorneys filed a reverse waiver report in hopes of keeping him in juvenile court with the main reason being having access to treatment in the long run.

The boy faces a felony count of first-degree intentional homicide, which could mean life in prison for the minor.