Teen accused of killing cousin with fentanyl injection to face murder trial as adult

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LANCASTER, PA — A Lancaster teen charged in the brutal fentanyl murder of his cousin and a separate city shootout will be tried as an adult, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Lancaster County Judge Leonard Brown III denied a motion to move the cases of 18-year-old Alexander Wade Whisman to juvenile court, despite the fact that Whisman was a minor at the time of both alleged crimes. The decision keeps Whisman’s 23 felony charges — including criminal homicide — in the adult criminal system.

The ruling followed a July 14 hearing in which Whisman’s attorneys petitioned for the case to be transferred to juvenile court. However, an expert evaluation concluded Whisman was not amenable to treatment under the juvenile system, a finding the defense did not contest. Judge Brown…