Boy May Be Tried as Adult in Death of His Mother

SANTA ANA —  Prosecutors filed murder charges Monday against a 14-year-old Yorba Linda boy accused of fatally shooting his mother during an argument last week, as stricken relatives struggled to understand how his picture-perfect family came to be so violently shattered.

Prosecutors said they will seek a judge’s permission to try Daniel P. Connolly, a freshman at Esperanza High School in Anaheim, as an adult. If they are successful, Connolly will be among the youngest defendants in the state to be tried under a year-old law that lowered to 14 the age at which youths can be tried and punished as adults for crimes such as murder and robbery.

“Everybody’s devastated. Total shock,” said Mark Connolly, Daniel’s uncle. “He’s got no record. He’s got no history of any kind of problems at all. . . . The family--everybody’s perplexed. This is the most loving family I’ve ever seen.”

Daniel Connolly faces a hearing in juvenile court today to determine whether he will remain in custody until trial.

Authorities said Daniel Connolly lost his temper and fatally shot his mother, 42-year-old Cindy Connolly, during a heated argument at the family home Thursday.

Neighbors along placid Shady Glen Place described the boy as a well-balanced and athletic teen. Relatives said the family was close-knit and went camping and fishing together.

The boy’s father, Philip Connolly, a fire captain with the Orange County Fire Authority, and Daniel’s 9-year-old sister, Caitlen, were not home at the time of the shooting. Both were receiving counseling to cope with the loss, Mark Connolly said.

Cindy Connolly, a dental hygienist, was “the perfect mother,” he said.

“My brother is just confused about the whole thing. It’s his son, which makes it that much worse. But he’s not giving up on him or anything,” said Mark Connolly, who lives in Chino Hills.

Deputy District Atty. David Brent, who filed murder charges, said prosecutors are seeking to make use of a year-old law that allows children as young as 14 to be charged as adults for the most serious crimes. The youth could face as much as 25 years to life in prison if convicted as an adult of first-degree murder.

A Juvenile Court hearing must first be held to determine whether Daniel Connolly will face trial as an adult. That hearing is expected to take place next month.

The first case of this kind in Orange County involved a 14-year-old boy charged in the murder of a Seal Beach gas station clerk last year. Mario Luis Ortiz was convicted in October, after his 15th birthday. The age limit previously was 16.

Brent declined to discuss specifics of the case. He said it has not been determined whether prosecutors will seek to convict Daniel Connolly of first- or second-degree murder.

Investigators said the youth called police after the midafternoon shooting and confessed later to firing a .22-caliber handgun at his mother. Cindy Connolly died of the wounds at the home shortly after she was shot, police said. A neighbor reported seeing the boy sobbing loudly and speaking on a portable telephone outside the home.

Daniel Connolly led police to the suspected murder weapon in a field next to the house.

The uncle said Daniel Connolly, who picked out a Valentine’s Day card for his mother just two weeks ago, was remorseful but had not yet discussed what led up to the slaying.

“He’s very sorry for what he did. . . . My brother’s just concerned he get help. He’s got to pay for what he did, but he needs help now. He’s got some problems,” Mark Connolly said.