Menifee Teen Accused Of Killing His Little Brother Scheduled In Court Monday

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The half-brother of an 11-year-old Menifee boy killed and buried in the backyard of his family home is slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at a detention hearing in French Valley.

Skylor Atilano, 16, is accused in the July 6 slaying of Terry Smith Jr. Atilano, who is being held at Southwest Juvenile Hall, is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing at 1:30 p.m. in the juvenile division of the Southwest Justice Center.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office intends to request that the teenager be tried as an adult, though that  hearing will not be held today.

Atilano was arrested Wednesday morning after Terry's remains were located behind his family's single-story home in the 33000 block of Helen Lane. The body had presumably been there since Saturday night -- after three days of searching by a phalanx of volunteers.

"This was a domestic issue within that residence," Riverside County sheriff's Capt. John Hill said Wednesday. "There was no stranger in the city of Menifee who caused this to happen."

According to investigators, Atilano initially said he had last seen Terry Saturday evening, playing video games. But  the 16-year-old later changed his story, indicating he had seen his sibling walking behind him as he headed to a nearby store Saturday night, whereupon he directed Terry to go back home.

The child was reported to be autistic.

Word of Terry's death was an emotional blow to many of the roughly 1,000 volunteers who took part in scouring a 55-square-mile area, looking for the victim.

According to authorities, shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, volunteers stumbled upon a shallow grave containing partially exposed human remains about 75 feet behind the Smith home and immediately notified deputies. Hill acknowledged that "multiple searches of the property" had taken place previously without turning up any clues.

"Sometimes it takes a while to put all the pieces together in circumstances like this," the sheriff's captain said.

After the discovery, all members of the household were whisked away to the sheriff's Menifee station for questioning. Atilano's arrest was announced about 15 hours later.--City News Service

More coverage on the Terry Smith case:

• Locals Honor Life Of Slain Boy

• Teen Charged With Killing Little Brother; Father Speaks Out

• Positive Identification On Boy's Remains Still Pending

• Woman’s ‘Intuition’ Helps Find Missing Boy’s Body
• Community Mourns Menifee Boy's Killing While Awaiting Coroner's Confirmation
• Search Ends For Missing Menifee Boy, But Community's United Effort Not In Vain

• Have You Seen This Boy? He is at Risk
• Missing Autistic Boy in Menifee
  
• Police Still Searching For Missing Autistic Boy
• Hundreds of Volunteers Fan Out in Search for Missing Autistic Boy in Menifee
• 'Find Terry Smith' Facebook Page Established, Volunteers Continue Search For Missing Boy
• Still No Sign Of Missing Autistic Boy, Search Continues
• Search For Missing Autistic Boy Intensifies
• Volunteers, Authorities Searching Through the Night for Missing Menifee Boy
• VIDEO: No Leads In Case Of Missing Autistic Boy, Police Chief Says
• UPDATED: Police Uncover Possible Human Remains At Missing Autistic Boy's Home
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