LIMA — A Lima teen recently pleaded not guilty in Allen County Common Pleas Court to five counts related to the February shooting death of 14-year-old Lauralye Sterling.
Cardarius Burns, who will be 18 years old on Oct. 31, was indicted on aggravated robbery with a firearm specification, felonious assault with a firearm specification, grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordinance and two counts of having weapons while under disability. He is currently being held in the Allen County Juvenile Detention Center on a $250,000 bond.
The charges against Burns stem from an incident that occurred Feb. 13 resulting in the death of Sterling. Malik Dennis — who is accused of firing the shot that killed the teen while she was in a residence at 788 Greenlawn Ave. — was formally charged with aggravated murder and two counts of murder, each unclassified felonies, along with single counts of felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation and tampering with evidence.
At a municipal court hearing for Dennis, attorney Steve Chamberlain from the Allen County Public Defenders Office said it was learned that Dennis had been robbed a short time prior to the shooting by two juveniles who were inside the Greenlawn Avenue residence. He reportedly left and returned with the firearm that was used to shoot Sterling.
Burns is alleged to have been one of those juveniles.
A pretrial has been scheduled in common pleas court for Nov. 4.
Reach Charlotte Caldwell at 567-242-0451.
