A King County Juvenile Court judge has determined there is probable cause to detain two teenage boys who were recently arrested for the murder of 16-year-old Wesley Gennings.

The charging deadline for the 16-year-old suspect, whom police have thus far declined to identify, is Feb. 23. He is expected to be charged as an adult, according to King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Dan Donahoe. The charging deadline for the 14-year-old suspect, Diante Pellum, is Feb. 24. Pellum could also be charged as an adult, but his case would first need to be filed in juvenile court and go through a decline hearing, when a judge would decide.

Federal Way police announced on Sunday that Pellum, a Tacoma resident, turned himself into police that evening. The Saghalie Middle School student was accompanied by an attorney and booked into the King County Juvenile Detention Center for investigation of murder.

Pellum joined his alleged accomplice, a 16-year-old Federal Way resident, who was enrolled at Thomas Jefferson High School. The older suspect was arrested on Feb. 18 at the high school. Police found a loaded weapon when he was apprehended.

Police believe the two are responsible for fatally shooting Gennings in a car in the parking lot of the Federal Way Taco Bell at 2031 SW Campus Drive on Feb. 13.

According to court documents, police responded to the crime scene after witnesses reported hearing a gunshot in the area and said two males were observed exiting Gennings’ vehicle. Witnesses also said the suspects opened the car’s driver and passenger doors, bent “as if grabbing something” and then calmly walk away.

Officers found Gennings inside the vehicle with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head.

As the investigation proceeded over the next few days, detectives learned Gennings was going to meet some people at Crystal Pointe Apartments, including a witness. The witness told police Gennings had asked him to be at the location, but when he arrived, he could not find Gennings. The witness then received a call that he had been shot and killed.

Three days later, another witness told detectives that he had heard one of the suspects was in eighth grade. Detectives also received multiple anonymous tips about the 16-year-old suspect – one of the tips including that Gennings’ friends had “set him up.”

The 16-year-old suspect allegedly was friends with Gennings and had been to Gennings’ New Year’s Eve house party. Court documents show the suspect reportedly handled Gennings’ “starter pistol” in his room the same night as the party. A starter pistol, or a starting pistol, is used to start track and field races and is not capable of firing bullets, according to Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.

Following such tips, police contacted the suspect at Thomas Jefferson and found a weapon.

Several other witnesses came forward to tell police the suspects were picked up within minutes of the shooting and taken toward a body of water. One of the suspects got out of the vehicle and ran across a busy street, only to return a minute later. They were dropped off at an apartment complex.

Witnesses also told police they overheard the suspects say they were going to get marijuana from Gennings and that one of the suspects had seen Gennings’ gun at a party. Because of the way the suspects were talking, the witness interpreted that the two didn’t intend to pay for the marijuana.

During an interrogation, the 16-year-old suspect confirmed that he and Pellum were at Crystal Pointe Apartments and had met Gennings that night to buy marijuana.

After his arrest, detectives searched the 16-year-old’s residence and found a Taco Bell bag that had traces of marijuana and other, smaller baggies.

On Feb. 20, detectives learned that the two suspects had allegedly conspired ahead of time to rob Gennings of marijuana.