Almost immediately after Casimir Snyder was shot on January 4th, doctors told investigators the shot had likely come from above. Police say that information led to a confession from sixteen year old Ja-Le Johnson and the recovery of the weapon he claimed to have used. The investigation did not end there however, and soon police had doubts about both Johnson’s confession and the reported murder weapon.
Just days after the shooting, investigators say Johnson’s family alerted them to fifteen year old Shawn Rhines. The family said Rhines had been in the attic of the house with Ja-Le but Johnson had never mentioned him to police.
Gary Miguel said that "now Shawn Rhines comes in back to the police station and then gives us a confessional affidavit saying he is the shooter and describes the gun he used at the time."
District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick said the two teens had been building up to the shooting.
"It started out shooting targets, then it escalated to small animals and then, it came to the point of a human being."
Rhines is charged with second degree murder and Johnson faces four felony charges including hindering the prosecution and perjury. Fitzpatrick went on to say that Johnson’s motive for providing a false confession was difficult to understand. "Essentially, he's almost playing games with SPD to see what his fellow teenager would do when faced with the fact that Ja-Le Johnson was charged with this crime."
Shawn Rhines faces fifteen years to life if convicted.
