Montgomery County Juvenile Court Judge Helen Wallace approved the motion to transfer Mitchell to common pleas court on Dec. 7. Bond was set at $500,000.
The charges stem from a Dayton robbery on Jan. 26 in which 35-year-old Brandon Cooper was shot and killed. Dayton police responded to Ferguson Avenue after a vehicle’s OnStar system reported a possible crash. When officers arrived, they found Cooper shot in the back inside the vehicle.
Cooper was working as a Lyft driver when the teens reportedly used the rideshare company to lure Cooper to them and then attempted to rob him.
The teens were also identified as suspects in a second case an hour earlier where a different Lyft driver reported she was robbed at gunpoint and her car, phone and other items were stolen.
Mitchell and three other teens were taken into custody following a SWAT standoff in Dayton the same day.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office announced in February it filed for Mitchell and a second 15-year-old to be charged as adults. The second teen has a hearing scheduled for January in juvenile court. The Dayton Daily News is not identifying the second juvenile pending their transfer to adult court.
“We have recently seen an increase in extremely violent crimes being committed by juveniles,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. “That has to stop. We will hold these violent offenders responsible to the fullest extent of the law.”
On Dec. 6, Cooper’s family filed a civil lawsuit against Lyft, as well as Mitchell and the second teen, in his death.
In deciding to transfer Mitchell to common pleas court, Wallace found there was not enough time to rehabilitate him in the juvenile court system and that he was mature enough to be transferred.
Court documents also noted Mitchell was on probation at the time of the robbery and shooting for receiving stolen property.
“Since being detained, the juvenile has demonstrated some positive behaviors and has been engaged in therapy,” court documents read. “The juvenile has, however, received several disciplinary reports for incidents such as fighting or inciting fighting.”
He will be arraigned Dec. 29.
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