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Judge: Teen to be tried as adult for murder

A North Philadelphia teen's bid to be tried as a juvenile for his alleged part in a botched robbery-turned-murder last May failed Thursday morning in a Philadelphia courtroom.

A North Philadelphia teen's bid to be tried as a juvenile for his alleged part in a botched robbery-turned-murder last May failed Thursday morning in a Philadelphia courtroom.

Marvell Hargrove, 18, needs more rehabilitation than he would receive in the three years he'd be eligible to be in the juvenile justice system, Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner said.

Lerner's ruling means that Hargrove, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, will be tried as an adult for second-degree murder with co-defendant Quasheam Richburg, 21.

A second-degree murder conviction carries a life without parole sentence.

On May 26 of last year, Richburg, with a sawed-off shotgun, and Hargrove, entered Trax Foods corner store on North Front Street near Girard Avenue in Northern Liberties to rob the place, prosecutors said.

Richburg pointed the gun at clerk Mustafa Shaker, 50. Hargrove tried unsuccessfully to open the register, prosecutors said. When Shaker refused to hand over money, Richburg allegedly shot him in the head, killing the Egyptian immigrant and father of two. The defendants fled empty handed and were recorded on the store's surveillance camera.

Contact Mensah M. Dean at 215-568-8278 or deanm@phillynews.com.