Demetrius Glenn and Kenan Adams-Kinard, two Spokane teens accused of murdering 88-year-old World War II veteran Delbert “Shorty” Belton last month, pleaded not guilty this week.
The two teens are accused of beating Belton to death with flashlights. They are being tried as adults for first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery, reported NBC affiliate KHQ.
Prosecutors claim the two attacked and killed Belton in a robbery attempt. His body was found in a car at a parking lot in front of an Eagles lodge.
The teens’ trial begins on Nov. 4, reported the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
Barbara Belton, the victim’s daughter-in-law, told NBC News that his face was so badly beaten that doctors could not stop the bleeding.
“They should get the death sentence,” friend Ted Denison told KHQ. “Their family didn’t get to see Shorty, what he looked like after these kids got done. I did. And it’s not right.”
He added that Adams-Kinard “wrote a letter to his mom admitting this crap and now he pleads not guilty. That’s bull,” reported CBS News.
The two teens also alleged they were going to buy crack cocaine from Belton. But friends and family of the victim say that the claim is false.
“I'd stand by my kid no matter what he did but I wouldn’t drag someone else’s name through the freaking mud either,” said one friend, according to CBS. “To me, they’re just looking for an out and it ain’t going to happen.”
