Plea deal near for teen accused of fatally stabbing younger sister

A plea deal is in place for a 15-year-old Mundelein girl who is accused of killing her 11-year-old half-sister by stabbing her more than 30 times nearly one year ago, attorneys said.

Defense attorney Michael Conway said in juvenile court Wednesday that the girl is “in the direction of accepting the resolution” offered by Lake County prosecutors, but added the family has requested more time to consider the plea agreement.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim and Conway would not comment on the proposed negotiation after the brief court hearing at the Robert W. Depke Juvenile Justice Complex near Vernon Hills.

The identity of the juvenile is being withheld by the Daily Herald out of respect for court instructions that she not be identified.

The teen, her mother, and the father of the victim, Dora Betancourt, were also present in juvenile court with the attorneys Wednesday. In court, Conway said he had been having “ongoing discussions” with Nerheim on the case, and those meetings resulted in the negotiated settlement.

He did not say in court whether the resolution would involve jail time.

The Mundelein teen is facing three counts of first-degree murder for repeatedly stabbing Betancourt in the younger girl's bedroom Jan. 21, 2014. The girls were home alone at the time, authorities said.

The teen confessed to authorities that she killed her half-sister because she felt unappreciated.

As state's attorney, Nerheim has had the right to charge the teen as an adult and transfer the case to felony adult court. If convicted, she could be incarcerated her past her 21st birthday, officials have said.

Nerheim has not transferred the case, citing the need for psychological tests to be completed on the teen before making a final decision. It's unknown if those tests are finished.

The two sides will return to juvenile court Jan. 27.