A Franklin County Grand Jury today indicted an 18-year old Southside resident in the fatal shooting his girlfriend.
On the night of August 2, 2016, Gutierrez called 9-1-1 in an audible panic and explained that he had shot his girlfriend, Daylee Newman while they were "playing with a gun." Newman died that evening.
Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien says Gutierrez was originally charged with murder, but the charges were reduced to reckless homicide. O'Brien says after careful review he determined the boy's actions were not intentional but it appears he was incredibly careless while handling a weapon.
"It was a case, as his own 9-1-1 call seemed to indicate, that the gun had been mishandled or played with,"says O'Brien.
According to reports by NBC4, Newman's mother has stated that she's forgiven Gutierrez. O'Brien says this will be taken into consideration by the court and prosecutor during Gutierrez's trial.
He is scheduled to be arraigned August 17th. He remains in the Franklin County jail.