Teen charged with murdering Reston couple out of hospital, moved to juvenile detention center

FAIRFAX, Va. - A teenager accused of killing his girlfriend's parents inside their Reston home just days before Christmas faced a judge for the first time on Monday.

The 17-year-old boy appeared at his detention hearing through video conferencing from his hospital room. Due to his medical state, the 17-year-old boy was only formally charged in the case last week.

The teenage suspect from Lorton has been in the hospital fighting for his life after police say he shot himself in the head following the fatal shooting of 48-year-old Scott Fricker and 43-year-old Buckley Kuhn-Fricker. He is currently being charged as a juvenile.

Family members of the slain couple have said during the weeks leading up to their deaths that the Frickers had asked the suspect to stop dating their 16-year-old daughter because of concerns he was a neo-Nazi.

During the hearing on Monday, the 17-year-old suspect was sitting up and chained to his hospital bed with his mother beside him. He had a bandage around his head after doctors had to remove a part of his skull to save his life, but he was able to speak to the judge.

There was concern due to the suspect's medical and mental health needs that placement in a juvenile detention center would not be safe for him. However, the judge ordered the 17-year-old be held at the Fairfax County Juvenile Detention Center and he was taken there by the Fugitive Unit on Monday afternoon.

"For children that come into our facility that have medical or mental health issues, we have mental health professionals that are assigned to our detention center that will work with this child, children and monitor their activities as well as have full-time nurses in our facility and doctors that we coordinate with around treatment of physical issues that a child may have," said Robert Bermingham, director of the Court Services Unit for Fairfax County's Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. "I have not seen the final discharge papers. Anytime a child is coming out of a hospital, we want to make sure and we are required by state regulations to assure that they are healthy, both physically and mentally, to enter a facility under our care."

A defense attorney appointed to the case was given the option to file motions to review the suspect's placement in the juvenile detention center.

It would be up to the commonwealth's attorney to decide on whether to charge the teenager as an adult.