School attack hero to be honored as suspects return to court

DENVER (AP) — A memorial service for a student hailed as a hero for tackling one of the armed attackers at his suburban Denver school is set for Wednesday afternoon.

The celebration of 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo’s life will be held at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch. The service is planned to begin just a few hours after the two suspects are due in court.

Prosecutors are expected to file charges Wednesday morning against the students accused of the attack at the STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7 that killed Castillo and wounded eight other classmates. The hearings were planned for Friday but a judge decided to delay.

Prosecutors have said they will decide whether to charge 16-year-old Alec McKinney as an adult alongside 18-year-old Devon Erickson.