The tragic murder case of 8-year-old Leila Fowler is now being heard in a juvenile court, and the circumstances are every parents worse nightmare. Leila's 12-year-old brother Isaiah Fowler is now standing trial for stabbing his sister to death.

Through his attorney, Isaiah has claimed that he is not to blame for his sister's death. He has maintained throughout the investigation that a tall, gray-haired man walked into the house while he and Leila were alone, repeatedly stabbing the girl before fleeing the scene.

"Our view of the case hasn't changed," Mark Reichel, one of Isaiah Fowler's lawyers, said outside the courtroom after Wednesday's hearing. "We got in believing our client was innocent, and as we stand here, that's what we believe."

The case is particularly disconcerting because of the delicate nature of the defendant. Being a 12-year-old, there are legitimate questions over the reliability of his testimony and the strength of his agency to make decisions.

"We're concerned about whether or not a 12-year-old can actively participate in his own defense," Reichel said.

The family's house was located in Valley Springs, Calif., and by all accounts the Fowler family was your typical happy suburban family. The parents left the two children alone when they went to go watch their other son play at a Little League baseball game.

"She was just a beautiful little girl, always out there playing," neighbor Dana Wydner said. "They were good kids. They were just a normal family."

Should Isaiah Fowler be found guilty of the charges levied against him, he could be in jail until he is 23 years old. He is being charged with second-degree murder in the case.

Sadly, if Fowler is found to be guilty of murder, his case would be far from the only one of its kind. While most juvenile arrests are for misdemeanor crimes, there are still a shockingly high number of violent and lethal crimes committed by underage individuals. According to California's Legislative Analyst's Office:

"Violent crimes, including homicide, rape, and robbery, accounted for 25 percent of all juvenile felony arrests. There were a total of 171 juvenile arrests for homicide in 2005, less than one-half of 1 percent of all juvenile felony arrests."

In California a person can be tried as a juvenile through the age of 17, depending on mental faculties and circumstance. A Supreme Court ruling has already found it unconstitutional to levy a death sentence against a juvenile.