photo by: Contributed

Javier Romero, left, and Andrel Spates Jr., right.

One of the two teenagers accused in a fatal shooting in central Lawrence last summer has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

The teen, Javier I. Romero, 18, appeared Friday in Douglas County District Court, where Judge Stacey Donovan accepted his decision to waive the hearing, at which she would have decided whether enough evidence existed to proceed to trial. Donovan then scheduled Romero for arraignment at 10 a.m. on March 15. Romero is facing charges of first-degree murder and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Romero and the other teen, Andrel D. Spates Jr., 19, are accused of killing Christian Willis, 21, of Wichita, on Sept. 8, 2021, in the 1500 block of Kentucky Street. Willis was shot after an alleged drug deal turned violent, as the Journal-World has reported.

Spates has claimed that the fatal shooting occurred after Willis attempted to rob Romero at gunpoint during a drug transaction. He alleges that Willis first fired several times at Romero and that Spates then fired at Willis in self-defense, killing him.

Spates was also scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday, but the court pushed the date back to March 8.

Along with the murder charge, Spates is facing charges of distribution of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon. Spates was previously convicted of attempted aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery for a 2019 juvenile case, according to court records.