A grand jury has declined to indict a Bronx, N.Y., teen who was facing manslaughter charges in the death of his mother’s ex-boyfriend.
Luis Moux, 18, told police that he was acting to save his mother’s life when he put 43-year-old Stanley Washington in a choke hold, which ended the older man’s life.
As reported earlier by The Root, the incident happened Aug. 14 inside the apartment Moux shared with his mother, Lorena Sesma, 37.
Moux told police he was in his bedroom when, around 4:30 a.m., his mother and her ex began arguing in the hallway outside the apartment. Washington followed her inside the apartment and began beating her.
Moux, an offensive lineman on the Grand Street Campus High School’s football team, came rushing to his mother’s aid and wrapped his arm around Washington’s neck, ultimately killing the older man.
After the teen was charged by police, he received an outpouring of support from the community. Intimate-partner violence is the leading cause of death for black women between the ages of 15 and 45.
The teen’s lawyers argued that Moux’s actions were justified given the circumstances.
“He’s done what any young man would do: He defended his mother from, in my opinion, being murdered,” Walter Fields, one of Moux’s attorneys, told News 12.
“We do acknowledge that Mr. Washington’s family suffered a great loss, and we pray for them,” said Ronald Fisher, another of Moux’s attorneys.
Read more at News 12.