Bruce Williams Jr.

A York City man will be tried for murder as an adult for a fatal shooting he allegedly committed last fall, when he was 17 years old.

Bruce Williams Jr., 18, of Linden Ave., remains in county prison without bail, charged with homicide, robbery and carrying a firearm without a license.

He's accused of fatally shooting Jesse Heverling, 32, of South Belvidere Avenue, about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 10 outside 285 S. Belvidere Ave., described as a crack house in court documents.

Williams shot a second man in the hand, York City Police have said.

Defense attorney Dawn Cutaia in January petitioned Common Pleas Judge Thomas H. Kelley VI to transfer the case to juvenile court.

She argued Williams is amenable to treatment and "has the potential to be a completely different person, given the proper resources."

Threat to public: But in a ruling filed Wednesday, Kelley denied the motion.

"The defendant has a history of offenses that have steadily increased in severity since (his) first admission into the juvenile (system)," the judge wrote.

Kelley said he believes Williams "most assuredly" poses a threat to public safety.

"Given the long and storied history of troubles that have existed surrounding this young man," it's doubtful there would be enough time to rehabilitate Williams before he ages out of the juvenile system, the ruling states.

The judge wrote he was struck by the fact that Williams continues to deny his prior criminal history, which doesn't bode well for his future rehabilitation.

Crack house manager? At the time of the homicide, Williams was working as a manager of a crack house, arming himself with an illegal gun while "plying his wares," according to the ruling.

And while the juvenile justice system has provided Williams with a substantial number of services and interventions to help him curtail his "aberrant behaviors," Williams' conduct has only become more egregious, Kelley wrote.

"Indeed, he has shown his complete lack of amenability to treatment," Kelley added.

Cutaia, the defense attorney, only learned of the ruling late Wednesday afternoon.

"I haven't had a chance to review the decision yet, but I'm obviously disappointed," she said.

Senior deputy prosecutor Dave Maisch said he's pleased with the ruling.

"Now we can move forward with trial and get closure for Jesse Heverling's family," he said.

The background: Police said Heverling was killed during a drug-related robbery, and that witnesses told detectives they saw Williams brandish a gun and threaten Heverling over drugs.

Not long afterward, Heverling was beaten up by Williams and several people inside 285 S. Belvidere Ave., police said.

Heverling managed to break free and run out the kitchen door, but Williams ran after him and shot him about four times, according to police.

-- Staff writer Liz Evans Scolforo can also be reached at levans@yorkdispatch.com.