A Will County judge denied the pretrial release of a Joliet teen charged with the first-degree murder of another teen who was stabbed on May 3 at Riverwalk Homes apartment complex.

On Monday, Judge Amy Christiansen granted a petition from prosecutors for Jae’vion Smith, 17, to remain in jail as he awaits trial on the charge of fatally stabbing Javion Bailey, 17.

Smith is being charged as an adult in the case.

Prosecutors said Smith was apparently motivated to stab Bailey because he felt disrespected by him.

Smith’s attorney, Chuck Bretz, said his client was acting in self-defense from Bailey and several other youths who were attacking him.

Christiansen said Smith was serving his sentence in a case where he was adjudicated as a juvenile on a reckless shooting charge before he was charged in March with fleeing from officers and charged in May with the murder case.

Based on that, Christiansen said she did not believe Smith could abide by any conditions she would set for his pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act.

Christiansen also found Smith is a danger to other witnesses who could testify against him.

Smith’s next court hearing has been set for July 21.

At 12:55 p.m. on May 3, officers responded to Riverwalk Homes for a stabbing and found Bailey on the fifth floor with a “serious stab wound,” according to Joliet police officials.

During a June 5 court hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Kwasneski said Bailey suffered a stab wound to the abdomen, and he died after he was hospitalized from multiple organ failure.

Kwasneski said Smith was still on the scene, and he allegedly admitted to stabbing Bailey.

Kwasneski said officers learned Smith and Bailey were in a bedroom with several other people. She said Smith claimed Bailey and one other person pulled a gun on him, and he stabbed Bailey in self-defense.

Bretz said Smith believed he was going to be robbed by several people involved in the incident, and a gun was “pulled on him.”

Smith remained on the scene instead of fleeing, and he was cooperative with police, Bretz said.

Kwasneski said the only witness who suggested self-defense had fled the scene, and there is a “reasonable inference” the witness was part of the plot to “get revenge” on Bailey.

Bretz said that witness didn’t remain on the scene because there were people with guns beating him up.