LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles judge has ordered three teens to face trial on murder charges in the slaying of a Chinese graduate student.
Judge M.L. Villar made the ruling Thursday after hearing testimony and watching videos that prosecutors say shows the fatal beating of Xinran Ji.
Prosecutors say the teens killed Ji during an attempted robbery July 24 as he walked home from a late-night study session at the University of Southern California campus.
Police say Ji managed to make it home after being beaten with a bat and wrench. His trail of blood led to his bed where he was found dead.
The killing led to renewed concerns about the safety of Chinese students at USC, where two other Chinese graduate students were murdered in 2012.
Teens to face murder trial in killing of Chinese USC student
Jonathan Del Carmen, left, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Al Seib)