A 16-year-old Oakland High School student who previously admitted to the April 2 shooting of 34-year-old Quinn Boyer has entered a not guilty plea in the case, and his father is telling media he believes his son was framed.

Accused triggerman Christian Burton, 16, stands accused in the murder along with five other juveniles, one as young as 13, who were all in a stolen car together on April 2 when they allegedly pulled up near Boyer, near Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland hills. Investigators say it was the suspect who got out of the car and shot Burton at point-blank range, after which his foot hit the accelerator and his car plunged into a ravine.

Police later found the vehicle the boys had been in abandoned at Horace Mann Elementary School, and identified the six boys using a surveillance video of the area.

Burton's father, Richard Burton, says his son isn't capable of killing, and believes that he was framed for the crime by the other boys. He says his son had been bullied, and he's incredulous that Christian had even skipped class on the day in question, having dropped him off at school himself. Christian told police, though, that he had been present in the stolen vehicle and confessed to pulling the trigger.

Alameda County prosecutors have not revealed the identities of the other juveniles, or the charges filed against them. Burton's name was released because he is being tried as an adult.

[Oakland Tribune]
[CBS]