A 16-year-old boy under investigation in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship was in federal court at the end of last week, but the reasons for his appearance at the South Florida courthouse have been obscured because of his age.
Unlike other cases involving adults, there was no explanation for the teen’s appearance in the Miami federal court docket, or whether he has been charged with a crime, since juvenile cases are closed to the public. Juvenile cases aren’t common in federal court and they often are sent to state courts or the juvenile is tried as an adult.
