The ACT's Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped two charges, including one of joint commission murder, levelled at a 13-year-old Canberra boy in the wake of a Phillip shooting murder.
Shane Drumgold SC withdrew the charges, which also included the attempted aggravated burglary of the dead man's unit, in the ACT Children's Court on Monday morning.
The boy, who lives in suburban Gungahlin, was not present in court, where he was represented by lawyer Sarah Boxall.
He was just 12 when Glenn Walewicz, 48, was shot dead after answering a late-night knock at the door of his Connorville Gardens public housing unit in June 2021.
Following a year of painstaking investigations by homicide detectives from ACT Policing, six people were charged last month with offences that included murder and being an accessory after the fact.
Some were also charged with crimes relating to an alleged conspiracy to carry out a home invasion.
The 13-year-old boy became the fifth person charged when he was arrested at City Police Station on June 15.
Following the withdrawal of the charges levelled at him on Monday, Mr Drumgold outlined his decision.
"After reviewing additional evidence obtained subsequent to the juvenile's arrest [and] following consultation with the chief Crown prosecutor, homicide detectives and family members of Mr Walewicz, I've determined that the charges against the 13-year-old juvenile should be discontinued," Mr Drumgold said outside court.
"Given that an active prosecution is ongoing in relation to the remaining five defendants, I'll not be making any further comment in relation to this matter at this time."
It is understood homicide detectives are increasingly confident Mr Walewicz was killed in a case of "mistaken identity", and that the people involved in his death had intended to target someone else.
All five people of the people still before the courts are behind bars on remand.
Two of them had their cases briefly mentioned in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday morning.
Magistrate James Lawton adjourned the matter of Gary Michael Taylor, who is charged with joint commission murder, until August 10 after the 24-year-old's lawyer, Taden Kelliher, requested two weeks "to finalise instructions".
Alleged murder accessory Jayden Douglas Williams, 19, had his case put over until August 22 so he could apply for Legal Aid.
The others charged over the death of Mr Walewicz include an 18-year-old man, who cannot be named because he was a juvenile at the time in question.
He is charged with the 48-year-old's murder, and is due back in court on August 8.
The other two defendants are Reatile Ncube, 19, and Nicole Williams, 38, who have both pleaded not guilty to charges that include being an accessory after the fact to Mr Walewicz's murder.
The Dunlop man and the Holt woman are the only defendants to have entered pleas thus far.
Both are due back in court on the same date as Jayden Williams.
