A teenager involved in the horror killing of an innocent mom during a home invasion has moaned about being moved to an adult prison.
Caya Lenay, who is in his early 20s, was moved from the Department of Children, Youth and Families’ Green Hill facility to an adult institution due to overcrowding.
The convicted murderer – who was involved in the death of Julie Knechtel, 54, in December 2017 at the age of 15 – said he felt his safety had been ‘betrayed’.
‘Why should our rehabilitation, our safety and security, programming, and all that stuff be removed and overlooked just based off a mistake they neglected?’ he told Fox 13 in a jailhouse call.
‘Why should this fall on our shoulders?’ he continued. ‘I feel like we all should have had that opportunity to have a hearing, to present who we are, and to talk about our accomplishments.’
Caya Lenay (pictured), who is in his early 20s, was moved from the DCYF’s Green Hill facility to an adult institution due to overcrowding. ‘Why should our rehabilitation, our safety and security, programming, and all that stuff be removed and overlooked just based off a mistake they neglected?’ he said
Lenay was involved in the death of Julie Knechtel, 54, (pictured) in December 2017 at the age of 15
Lenay recently graduated with an Associate degree in Arts from Centralia College – 85 miles south of Seattle.
He received honors for Phi Theta Kappa, the President’s List, Capital Classroom, and Made Men, according to The Chronicle.
More than 40 young adults that participated in the juvenile program – where the state allows those incarcerated with serious childhood crimes to remain in youth facilities until the age of 25 – were moved without warning to an adult facility.
Lenay and 10 other inmates were moved to the same facility, which not identified, after Green Hill hit 30 percent over its recommended capacity earlier this month, according to Fox 13.
DCYF announced earlier this month that neither Echo Green nor Green Hill would be taking in new inmates due to overcrowding.
‘They neglected to find a solution to the overcrowding and those situations they agreed to. So, I don’t think that should fall on our shoulders,’ Lenay, who was seen wearing Gucci on his Facebook page, argued to Fox 13.
Lenay (left) recently graduated with an Associate degree in Arts from Centralia College – located roughly 85 miles South of Seattle. He received honors for Phi Theta Kappa, the President’s List, Capital Classroom, and Made Men
More than 40 young adults that participated in juvenile program were moved without warning to an adult facility. Lenay (pictured at graduation) and 10 other inmates were moved to the same facility
Inmates were not told prior to the move that they’d be transferred to an adult facility and were not allowed to call home due to safety reasons. For a lot of the inmates, the sudden move surprised them.
The prisoners were cuffed and strip-searched before moving.
All the inmates that were selected were over the age of 18 and would have been transferred to an adult facility by the age of 25, Fox 13 said.
However, Lenay – who wrote two memoirs about his past titled Living by the Sword – is frustrated by the situation because he said he bought into Washington State’s rehabilitation program only to be forced out early.
Lenay (pictured in 2018), alongside four other teens, was involved in the murder of Knechtel in December 2017 – 20 days short of Lenay’s 16th birthday
DCYF, which was sued two years ago for transferring inmates out early, said it was aware it was breaking the settlement agreement reached in that case by transferring the prisoners without warning.
The agency argued that this situation warranted special circumstances, and therefore, didn’t require having to follow the agreement, which requires a review board, notice of movement, and contact with a lawyer prior to the move, according to Fox 13.
‘The internal review board process that’s in place is really about individual behavior and individual incidences,’ Allison Krutsinger, a DCYF public affairs director, said.
‘This transfer was really looking at the conditions of the entire facility and the entire JR population, and the decision was made under a different set of justification around entire conditions of the entire facility and the safety of safety and security.’
DCYF announced earlier this month that neither Echo Green nor Green Hill (pictured) would be taking in new inmates due to overcrowding
Attorney Sarah Nagy, who filed an injunction on behalf of the 43 transferred inmates, argued that the ‘due process requirements’ do ‘apply.’
‘That’s what all of these youth should have had, and none of them got any of that,’ she told Fox 13.
The injunction, which was heard by a judge Friday – requests the inmates be moved back within seven days.
Lenay, alongside four other teens, was involved in the murder of Knechtel in December 2017 – 20 days short of Lenay’s 16th birthday, according to Herald Net.
The teens went to rob Knechtel in the Village Green Mobile Home Park around 5am. She was shot in the heart and lungs while trying to render aid to her 17-year-old, who was also shot.
The Lynnwood native pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in adult court in October 2018 and was sentenced to 11 years.