Half brother of Menifee boy who went missing is charged with murder

The 16-year-old half brother of the Menifee boy who went missing last weekend has been charged with murder, authorities said.

The teen was arrested Wednesday after authorities found the remains of Terry Smith Jr., 11, in a shallow grave near the family’s home.

Riverside County prosecutors said they will ask a juvenile court judge on Monday to determine whether the teen should be tried as an adult.

Terry’s mother reported him missing Sunday morning, prompting a four-day search that drew 1,000 volunteers and law enforcement personnel and spanned more than 55 miles. It ended tragically early Wednesday morning when volunteer Pam Ragland and her children found a body in the shallow grave near the boy’s home.

Authorities have said that the 16-year-old half brother, whom The Times is not identifying because he is a minor, was the last to see Terry. Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Alberto Martinez said that the teen told his mother that he went for a walk to a nearby market on the evening of July 6, found that his younger brother was following him and told him to go back home.

Some family members expressed disbelief at the developing news.

“The boys didn’t even disagree,” said Paula Smith, Terry’s aunt. “Other than the normal ‘leave me alone,’ the normal kid stuff, there was no violence ever. It wasn’t allowed over there, so I don’t understand this at all.”

Terry Smith Sr., a retired truck driver who lives in West Virginia, said his ex-wife called him Sunday to ask if he was in California. He said he had been waiting for her to call and tell him when Terry Jr. — nicknamed “Juju” — had finished school for the summer, so he could send a plane ticket for him to come to West Virginia.

Instead, she told him their son was missing.

The teen suspect is scheduled to appear in juvenile court in Murrieta on Monday, when prosecutors said they will request a hearing to determine whether he should be tried as an adult.

The 16-year-old had just completed his sophomore year at Paloma Valley High School, said Jonathan Greenberg, superintendent of the Perris Union High School District.

In his Facebook profile picture, the boy stares contemplatively from beneath dark brown-black hair that sweeps across his forehead and nearly touches his shoulders. Two black studs pierce the skin just beneath either side of his lower lip, and a round silver ring hangs from his nose.

In the days leading up to his arrest, he posted several status updates on Facebook. One mentions insomnia and another being “Single officially.”

One friend wrote, “i never heard anything bad about him only good. and i highly doubt anyone would do this to their own sibling.”

Cierra Hess, who lives in Moreno Valley, told The Times she first met the teen through Facebook and that they soon began Skyping every night.

He “wouldn’t have ever done that,” she said.

emily.foxhall@latimes.com