A Pinal County judge ruled today to sever two juvenile co-defendants in a murder case, ordering separate trials for both teens.

Eliot Jackson, 17, and Isaiah Bandin, 15, appeared in a Florence courtroom together this afternoon. The two are accused of the Nov. 22 slaying of Estaban Valenzuela in the streets of the Maricopa Meadows.

Prosecutors said the murder happened near Dirk Street and Dancer Lane during a drug-related robbery. Both defendants are currently being held in juvenile detention but will be tried as adults in the forthcoming trials, according to the judge’s ruling.

The two stood next to each other at the defendant’s table, wearing matching blue polos and khaki pants. Their hands and feet were shackled together. Bandin’s hair was neatly trimmed with a short mustache. Neither Jackson nor Bandin looked at the family members in the gallery as they entered the courtroom. They each gave short glances to the relatives as they left.

Although Bandin is being tried as an adult, Judge Jason Holmberg barred cameras from the courtroom, citing his age.

The court has scheduled a new “trial setting hearing” for both teens May 5 at 1:30 p.m.

At the bench, attorneys representing both the state and the defense agreed on the severance.

“I’ll go ahead and show Mr. Bandin and Mr. Jackson are now severed,” the judge said today. “You are going to confer with the state and then give me those realistic trial dates.”

The judge emphasized the expectation that the trials will take place in 2025.

In the criminal justice system, severance is a legal mechanism used to protect the rights of defendants when a joint trial might create undue prejudice. Severing co-defendants may suggest prejudicial evidence against one defendant or different levels of culpability, according to the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure.

There was brief discussion between defense attorneys of a plea deal, although details were not clear. Neither legal team has returned calls seeking comment.

Through a victim’s advocate, the Bandin family declined to comment. The defense teams gave no comment.