The 14-year-old boy accused in the fatal stabbing of his classmate appeared in court Thursday evening.

Noel Estevez is being charged as an adult for allegedly stabbing fellow 14-year-old Timothy Crump outside I.S. 117, the Joseph H. Wade Middle School.

Estevez is facing second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, which could land him in jail for 25 years to life if convicted. His case is being remanded, meaning that he will have to stay in jail until his next court date.

Longtime neighbor Gilbert Lissade calls Estevez a good kid who has grown up in a troubled family. He says he didn't have friends and had problems with other kids at school.

Estevez's lawyer claims that his client acted in self-defense. He says Estevez was out of school for three months to avoid the group of kids that was bullying him.

The prosecution says that Estevez made a statement to the police saying, "The kid kept hitting me with his fist, so I stabbed him four or five times."

Estevez will be back in court on June 24.