MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell says teen violence in the Valley is a growing concern—one underscored by the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old student inside a Maryvale High School classroom earlier this week.

Mitchell’s office is now prosecuting 16-year-old Chris Daniel Aguilar, who is accused of killing his classmate, Michael Montoya II.

Aguilar is facing charges in adult court with second-degree murder, though Mitchell said Thursday that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to possible upgraded charges to first-degree murder.

Court records obtained by 12News detail how Aguilar and Montoya had an escalating conflict in the days leading up to the stabbing.

Witnesses told Phoenix police that Montoya had recently robbed Aguilar of a firearm during a

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