Turner v. Commonwealth

In this criminal appeal, we consider the question whether the trial court had jurisdiction to try the defendant, Keith Anthony Turner, who was 17 years of age at the time he committed the penitentiary offense of which he was convicted. More precisely, the question is whether the written notice requirement of Code § 16.1-176(a) (3), a *667part of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Law (Code §§ 16.1-139 et seq.), is procedural or jurisdictional.

Section 16.1-176(a) provides that if a child 15 years of age or over is charged with an offense which, if committed by an adult, could be…