A Portage County juvenile court judge ordered the second suspect in the Feb. 7 homicide of Nick Massa, a Kent State freshman, to be tried as an adult on Wednesday morning.

Marquis Grier, 17, is a suspect in last month’s shooting death of Massa at Ryan Place apartments. According to 911 calls, Massa was shot after a robbery at an apartment.

Wednesday morning’s hearing marks the second time Judge Robert Berger bound a juvenile suspect involved in the homicide to adult court.

Grier is being held under a $2 million bond. Berger doubled the state attorney’s request of a $1 million bond.

Grier will face the same criminal charges as Ty Kremling, another suspect in the homicide, who was bound to adult court last week by the same juvenile court judge.

Both Kremling and Grier face a life sentence with parole available after 20, 25 to 30 years and up to $25,000 in fines.

Kremling and Grier’s defense attorneys both hold that neither suspect committed the murder but there is sufficient probable cause that they were involved to try them as adults.

Because of the seriousness of the charge and the suspect’s age, Portage County juveniles charged with aggravated murder undergo a mandatory binding over to Portage County Common Pleas Court to be tried as adults.

Karl Schneider is an administration reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].