MOBILE, Alabama – A judge this morning denied "youthful offender" status for the man accused of murdering a woman in a drive-by shooting last summer, disappointing a mother who said she knows he's innocent because of a dream from God.

Trayon Washington, who stands accused of gunning down Wendy Fisher after she yelled at the speeding car he was riding in on Racine Avenue in west Mobile, pleaded not guilty last month. He was technically eligible to be treated as youthful offender because he was younger than 21 at the time of the shooting.

But since Mobile County Circuit Judge Michael Youngpeter already turned him down once in another case, there was little doubt about today’s decision. Defense attorney Art Powell did not even bother to put of a fight; the hearing lasted all of two minutes.

“The state’s opposed based on his extensive (criminal) history and the cases he has pending, as well,” Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Wright told the judge.”

Had Washington received a favorable ruling, his court file would have been closed to the public and his punishment capped at three years in prison. Instead, he will stand trial for murder as a full-fledge adult and faces 20 years to life in prison if convicted.

The defendant’s mother, Charlene Washington, told reporters outside the courtroom that she was disappointed in the decision and professed the defendant’s innocence. She said he has told her he knows nothing about the July 7 shooting and that she has gotten confirmation from God.

“He showed me in a dream that he was not the killer,” she said.

The shooting shocked the city because of its brazenness and seeming senselessness. The bartender and artist apparently did not know the occupants of the passing car. According to witnesses, she yelled at the vehicle to slow down because she was afraid for her dog’s safety.

The car stopped, and a passenger fired fatal shots at her in front of her boyfriend and teenage daughter, according to police.

Police allege that Washington, 18, was the shooter and that another man, Pat Maurice Brown, was driving the car. Two other people who were in the vehicle have not been charged.

Last year, Youngpeter cited Washington’s juvenile criminal record in denying a bid for youthful offender status on a receiving stolen property charge. Powell said his client was entitled to a new hearing because the law requires each case to be considered independently.

Charlene Washington urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and exonerate her son.

Follow Brendan Kirby on Twitter: