Teens plead to burglary

in bargin for testimony

March 3 - One of two teenage boys accused of killing a White Center man who caught them and a friend burglarizing his White Center home in October pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of burglary.

The boy, who was 14 at the time of the killing, is being prosecuted as a juvenile. Sentencing has been set for April 14. He was previously charged with second-degree murder.

In exchange for the guilty plea to burglary, the teen agreed to testify against the youth who allegedly shot Craig Hoffman.

Another boy, who was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty last month to a reduced charge of burglary and agreed to testify against the alleged killer.

King County prosecutors will ask at a March 24 hearing that the boy accused of shooting Hoffman during the Oct. 19 burglary should be tried as an adult. He was 15 at the time.

Hoffman, a 46-year-old father of four, surprised the three boys as they were burglarizing his house in the 11000 block of 14th Avenue Southwest.