Trial launches for girls charged in fatal Del. high school bathroom fight

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Three girls charged in a fatal high school bathroom fight in Wilmington are going on trial nearly a year after a 16-year-old girl’s death.

Attorneys have said the non-jury trial starting Monday in Family Court could last up to two weeks.

A judge ruled last year that a 16-year-old girl facing the most serious charge, criminally negligent homicide, would not be tried as an adult, leaving all three defendants to be tried as juveniles.

The girl is accused of repeatedly hitting Amy Joyner-Francis in an attack last April at Howard High School of Technology. Two other girls are charged with conspiracy in planning the fight, which was recorded on a cellphone.

An autopsy found that Joyner-Francis, who had a heart condition, died of sudden cardiac death.