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Emmanuel Aranda, 24, has reached an agreement to avoid a trial, said Chuck Laszewski, spokesman for the prosecutor's office. The office intends to seek the maximum penalty for attempted first degree murder, which is 19 years in prison, he said.
The penalty is 3 June.
While the lawyers were working on the conclusion of the contract, Aranda acknowledged that he intended to kill the boy, said Laszewski, recounting an exchange between the accused and the prosecutor.
"You did not just give up, you threw it," said prosecutor Cheri Ann Townsend, according to Laszewski.
"Yes," Aranda replied.
The boy's family gave his blessing to the transaction, said Laszewski.
"We were happy with that," he said. "Even if we had gone to trial, if we had proven the case, at most he would have gotten 12 more months."
The public defender representing Aranda could not be contacted immediately for comment.
The boy, who was not publicly identified, was with his mother outside the Rain Forest café when Aranda approached them, according to a criminal complaint. The mother had never seen Aranda before and she asked if she and her son should move out.
It was at that point that Aranda took the boy and threw him over the railing, according to the complaint.
Aranda told police that he had come to the mall a day earlier to kill an adult, but according to the complaint, it did not work. So he came back the next day and attacked the boy.
Aranda told the police that he knew his actions were bad, the complaint said. He had been visiting the mall for years trying to talk to the women, but they rejected him, which led him to catch on, he said. the police, according to the complaint.
In a statement on April 26, the victim's family announced that the boy was "alert and aware" after spending two weeks in critical condition.
"Praise, glory and honor to Jesus! He saved our son's life and healed him in the most miraculous way," said the family statement. "The way to healing is long, but with God and you, we are sure to succeed."
Although the boy has to undergo additional surgeries and rehab, the family said he should be released from the hospital in June.
"The child continues to heal and the family is asking for continued prayers and respect for privacy," said a family-based communications agency Tuesday.
CNN, Nicole Chavez and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.
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