Plea deal struck for 14-year-old Pa. boy in double slaying

FRANKLIN, Pa. (AP) — A northwestern Pennsylvania boy has decided to avoid trial by entering a plea agreement to charges he fatally shot his grandparents when he was just 13.

The Derrick newspaper of Oil City was reporting the deal had been reached today, and that Zachary Proper, who is now 14, could still receive up to 80 years in prison when he’s sentenced.

The Oil City boy was charged with killing 69-year-old George Fross and 67-year-old Dorothy Fross on Oct. 7, 2012 at their Sandycreek Township home near Franklin. That’s about 70 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Zachary faced up to a life sentence if convicted at trial.

A Venango County judge refused to try the case in juvenile court, where Zachary could have faced incarceration only until he turned 21, finding that “wholly inadequate to ensure the public’s safety.”