Karim v. Commonwealth

By opinion issued February 13, 1996, a panel of this Court vacated Khalid Karim's convictions for murder and abduction and remanded the case for further proceedings on the ground that the statutory notice requirements concerning the initiation of proceedings against juveniles had not been met. Karim v. Commonwealth, 21 Va. App. 652, 466 S.E.2d 772 (1996). A rehearing en banc was granted to determine whether the notice requirements were met and whether the alleged failure to meet the requirements created a jurisdictional defect, requiring vacation of the convictions. 1 We conclude the proceedings against Karim were improperly initiated and, therefore, the juvenile court lacked jurisdiction over the matter. Because the juvenile court lacked jurisdiction to transfer the case to the circuit court, the circuit court did not acquire jurisdiction to hear the case. Accordingly, the order of conviction is vacated and the case is remanded. BACKGROUND