UPDATED Thursday, September 11, 2008 --- 12 p.m.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- A judge says he won't reconsider a plea agreement in the case of a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing his sister in Fargo.
Sixteen-year-old Sergei Carlson is scheduled to go on trial Monday in Bismarck. He is charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the July 2007 death of his 16-year-old sister, Whitney.
Judge John Irby had rejected a plea deal in May that would have called for a sentence of 30 years in prison. Lawyers on both sides filed a motion earlier this week asking Irby to reconsider.
Irby says in court documents that the plea agreement fails to answer questions on key issues, including rehabilitation and civil commitment.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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UPDATED Tuesday, August 12, 2008 --- 2:55 p.m.
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing his sister in Fargo.
Sergei Carlson is charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the death of his 16-year-old sister, Whitney. His trial is set for Sept. 15 in Bismarck.
Prosecutors say the evaluation is meant to determine whether 16-year-old Sergei Carlson was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of his sister's death.
East Central District Judge John Irby denied a request from prosecutors to delay the trial.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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UPDATED Friday, July 18 --- 4:00pm
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- Court officials say the trial of a teenager charged with killing his sister has been moved to Bismarck.
Sergei Carlson is now scheduled for trial Sept. 15 at the Burleigh County courthouse.
The 16-year-old Carlson is charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the death of his 16-year-old sister, Whitney Carlson, on July 13, 2007, in Fargo.
Judge John Irby rejected a plea agreement in May that called for a 30-year prison sentence, but later agreed to move the trial from Fargo.
Authorities said Sergei Carlson told police he strangled his sister in her bedroom with his hands, put pillows over her face to muffle her sounds, then had sexual contact with her.
Sergei Carlson, who is called Isaac by family members, was adopted from Russia when he was 7 years old and moved with his father to Sun Prairie, Wis., in 2002. Whitney Carlson lived with her mother in Fargo.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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UPDATE: Thursday, July 3, 2008 --- 10:45 a.m.
FARGO, N.D.(AP) -- The father of a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing his sister in Fargo says the judge in the case should have accepted a plea agreement.
Sergei Carlson of Sun Prairie is charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the death of his sister, 16-year-old Whitney Carlson.
In a letter to Judge John Irby, the Rev. Scott Carlson says the judge's rejection of a plea deal in May made him feel like he had been kicked in the stomach.
The plea agreement called for a sentence of 30 years in prison for the 16-year-old. Defense attorney Mark Beauchene says in court documents that Irby would only accept a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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UPDATED Wednesday, July 2 --- 4:15pm
FARGO, N.D. (AP) -- A judge has agreed to move the trial of a Wisconsin teenager accused of killing his sister.
But Judge John Irby refused to remove himself from the case.
Defense attorney Mark Beauchene had asked Irby to remove himself, alleging the judge was biased against Sergei Carlson. He also asked that the trial be moved from Fargo.
The 16-year-old Carlson is charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the death of his sister, 16-year-old Whitney Carlson, last July.
Sergei Carlson was adopted from Russia when he was 7 years old and moved with his father to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 2002. Whitney Carlson lived with her mother in Fargo.
Authorities said Sergei Carlson told police he strangled his sister in her bedroom with his hands, put pillows over her face to muffle her sounds, then had sexual contact with her.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Posted September 26, 2007
A Wisconsin teenager accused of killing his 16-year-old sister in North Dakota stood with his shoulders slumped and head bowed as charges were read against him in adult court Wednesday in Fargo.
Family members wept quietly as 15-year-old Sergei Carlson was charged with murder and a deviate sexual act in the death of Fargo South High School student Whitney Carlson.
Sergei moved with his father, the Reverend Scott Carlson, to Sun Prairie in 2002, but sometimes visited his mother in Fargo.
Authorities say Sergei Carlson told police he strangled Whitney Carlson with his hands and put pillows over her head to muffle her sounds, then had sexual contact with her.
Sergei Carlson was not asked to enter a plea on the felony murder charge. He pleaded not guilty to the sex charge, a misdemeanor. Bond was set at $250,000 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 25th.
AP
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