Two Texas teenagers will be tried as adults in the stabbing death of a girl as part of an alleged satanic pact.
Authorities say 16-year-old Victor Alas claimed he tried to sell his soul to the devil, and prosecutors said the teen sexually assaulted a suburban Houston girl and then killed her in an attempt to seal the deal.
A juvenile court judge waived jurisdiction Wednesday in the murder case, meaning Alas and his co-defendant, 17-year-old Jose Reyes, will be tried in adult court.
Investigators said Alas and Reyes stabbed 15-year-old Coriann Cervantes in the head and torso more than 60 times with a screwdriver Feb. 5 at a vacant apartment complex.
Her body was found three days later among porcelain shards, some of them embedded in her skin, and a pentagram and upside-down cross were painted onto the apartment walls.
An upside-down crucifix was also carved into the victim's body.
The teen’s body also indicated she had been whipped and strangled.
Both suspects are charged with capital murder in the slaying, although they are not eligible for the death penalty due to their ages.
Alas faces 40 years to life in prison if he’s convicted in a trial that is scheduled to begin Nov. 3.
