Miami prosecutors are moving forward with felony charges against Marc Wabafiyebazu, the 15-year-old son of a prominent Canadian diplomat. Wabafiyebazu will be charged with felony murder for his role in a drug robbery gone wrong. His brother, Jean Wabafiyebazu, only 17, was killed in the same incident earlier this year.
As The Miami Herald reports , the case has captured both Canada and Miami-Dade County alike. Wabafiyebazu is the well-to-do son of Canada's consul general in Miami, Roxanne Dubé. He and his brother had only moved to Miami to be with their mother weeks before the deadly encounter occurred.
According to reports, Wabafiyebazu and his brother had arranged to buy a large quantity of marijuana from local teens for $4,800—but secretly intended to steal the drugs. Wabafiyebazu's brother was killed in the hail of bullets, as was another 17-year-old dealer, Joshua Wright. Two other men, Anthony Rodriguez (19) and Johann Ruis, (21) are being indicted on felony murder charges, as well.
Wabafiyebazu is being charged as an adult and—at the time of the Herald's report—was being moved from a juvenile facility to an adult one. His attorney, Curt Obront, maintained his innocence when speaking to the paper: "We going to be entering a plea of not guilty and defending the charges." According to police, Wabafiyebazu has admitted to police that he and his brother had pulled off similar robberies in Canada.
Florida's Felony Murder Rule
While Wabafiyebazu killed no one in the incident, he will still face felony murder charges. This is because of Florida's felony murder law, which states that if a death occurs during certain felonies, those accused can be charged with murder. Wabafiyebazu will also face attempted murder charges for his firing a gun at Mr. Rodriguez as he fled the scene.
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