News 12 First at Five; March 25, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga. --- Investigators say Willie Casey likely hung himself, but they are waiting on the autopsy results. Meanwhile, the 12-year-old boy should still face murder charges.

Those autopsy results could take up to two months.

Now, we want to know if the 12-year-old will still be facing the murder charges against him for the death of Roosevelt Cowins.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened in Richmond County. News 12 is learning the apparent suicide shouldn't change this case.

Early Monday afternoon, 21-year-old Willie Casey was found dead at the Richmond County jail. His parents are having a hard time believing it all.

"My son, he'd laugh all the time. He was a lovely kid. Everybody knew him," says Dorothy Dawson. "I know he wouldn't hurt nobody. And, I know he wouldn't kill himself."

That's what the GBI is trying to figure out right now, just what happened to Casey. But now, another problem. There's the 12-year-old boy also accused of murder, in the same case.

News 12 asking, "What's going to happen now to this 12-year-old boy?"

Asst. DA Ashley Wright answering, "The criminal cases where there are multiple defendants who are charged with (a crime), generally continue as they originally been planed to continue, regardless of what happens to the co-defendant."

Simply, this all means, "because one defendant has died, it should not affect the quality of the case against another defendant," says Wright.

But one thing could change. If the person agreed to testify in the case and then dies, "that could conceivably impact what happens to other cases," says Wright.

This isn't the first time something like this happened at the LEC. Back in December of 2007, a defendant died in jail.

"Unfortunately, we go through situations like this where there is a tragedy for the defendant and his family, but which also prevents us from some reason from prosecuting a person who harmed another person," says Wright.

That case wasn't affected.

Bottom line here in the 12-year-old's case, "in general, in criminal cases, the death of one co-defendant does not impact the prosecution of other parties," says Wright.