'Suspects in baseball player's killing face life in prison'

Washington, Aug 26 (IANS/CMC) In a tragedy that has shocked two continents, two of the three US teenagers suspected of murdering Australian baseball player Christopher Lane are facing life sentence, the case's lead prosecutor said.

Lane, studying at a university in the state of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship, was shot dead less than two weeks ago by three teens -- James Edwards, 15, Chancey Luna, 16, and Michael Jones, 17 -- while going for an afternoon jog, reports Xinhua.

One of the teens said they were "bored" that day, so they decided to kill a random stranger, according to police.

Stephens County District Attorney Jason Hicks, the case's lead prosecutor, said Sunday that Edwards and Luna will be tried as adults and could face life imprisonment without parole.

"I don't think they are children," Hicks said.

Hicks confirmed reports that Edwards was dancing and goofing off while he was being booked in the police station after his arrest.

"He was dancing and doing twirls during the booking process. He thought the whole thing was a joke," Hicks said.

The murder was followed by calls from former Australian deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer for Aussie tourists to boycott the US in light of Lane's murder.

US President Barack Obama has so far remained silent about the case. When asked during a press briefing last week about the Lane case, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was not familiar with the issue.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said it would "be a nice gesture" if Obama were to speak out about the case, since "Australia has expressed their sentiments".