AUGUSTA — A Winthrop teenager charged with murdering his parents in their home Oct. 31 was told Thursday that if the state succeeds in having him prosecuted as an adult he could face 25 years to life in prison on each count.
If Andrew Balcer is convicted as a juvenile, he could be held in a juvenile facility until he is 21.
Balcer, who will turn 18 on Dec. 3, told Judge Eric Walker that he understood the proceedings.
The Winthrop High School senior was at the Capital Judicial Center Thursday to be formally advised of the charges related to the slayings at 10 Pine Knoll Road. Winthrop police responded to the home after receiving 911 calls at 1:45 a.m. When they arrived, they found the bodies of Antonio and Alice Balcer, both 47. Police have not said how they died and Walker ruled Thursday that documents related to the case will remain sealed for at least another 60 days.
Balcer and his older brother, Christopher, were home at the time of the killings, police said.
During the court proceeding Thursday, Walker explained it was not an arraignment, and that Balcer could admit or deny the charges or enter “no answer.” Through his attorney, Walter McKee, Balcer entered “no answer” to the two charges of intentional or knowing murder that are listed on the juvenile petition. The judge said he would enter denials on Balcer’s behalf. Responses to juvenile charges are different from those in the adult criminal justice system.
Walker continued his order keeping Balcer in custody at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, where he has been held since he was arrested hours after his parents’ bodies were found.
Details about the investigation have not been released and Walker agreed Thursday to McKee’s request to keep documents in the case impounded because Balcer is a juvenile.
Assistant Attorney General Megan Elam previously had requested a hearing to determine whether Balcer can be tried as an adult. That requires a forensic evaluation, among other things, and McKee said that evaluation is set for Dec. 7.
“We’re in a little bit of a holding pattern until that occurs,” Walker said Thursday. He said the next hearing would likely take place in late January after the forensic evaluation report has been received. At that point, Walker said, he would set a date for a hearing on the state’s request to treat Balcer as an adult.
His court appearance came just two days before funeral services for his parents are set to take place in Augusta.
His father, Antonio Balcer, retired in 2012 as a chief warrant officer in the Coast Guard. Alice Balcer also served in the Coast Guard, and that is where they met 25 years ago, their obituaries said.
Antonio Balcer was active in local motorcycle groups and known locally as “the Rev” for serving as chaplain and officiating at weddings. Alice Balcer, an outdoor enthusiast, worked at the Winthrop Veterinary Hospital, and before that at the Kennebec Valley Humane Society shelter in Augusta.
On Thursday, Assistant Attorney General Bud Ellis represented the state, and said afterward that he and Elam will be prosecuting the case.
On Wednesday, Walker denied a media request to allow photographs or an electronic recording of the initial appearance, citing an administrative order of the court, and he repeated that in court Thursday.
The hearing was open to the public, and several members of Balcer’s family attended. However, there were only about 15 people in the spectators’ benches, far fewer than at a Nov. 1 hearing, when Walker outlined the steps in the proceedings to Balcer.
Balcer was escorted into the courtroom by several deputies and sat between McKee and attorney Matthew Morgan. He wore dark blue pants with a dark blue, short-sleeved shirt over a white T-shirt.
“I think he clearly knows what’s going on,” McKee said in a brief interview outside the courthouse after the hearing. “It’s a lot to manage all at once.”
McKee is not surprised by the state’s effort to try Balcer as an adult, but said, “We’re going to take it very slowly.”
McKee said he himself has only a two-page affidavit detailing why police believe Balcer should be charged with the crime. He said the state has hundreds of other documents, some of which will need to be shared with the forensic psychologist.
McKee has been in touch with Balcer’s family members. He said it is “incredibly awkward” since they are trying to support Andrew while grieving for his parents.
McKee and Morgan were escorted on the short walk from their office to the courthouse by Lt. Robert Annese, a deputy with the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office who is in charge of court security. McKee said he was told it was a security issue.
Annese said only, “It was a precaution.”
Ellis also spoke briefly outside the courthouse. He said Balcer’s evaluation “will delve into a variety of issues,” and that the state will continue to ask that the teen’s case be handled in adult court.
“It’s been our position that it’s the appropriate forum,” he said.
Services for Antonio and Alice Balcer are set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday at Plummer Funeral Home in Augusta.
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