MARIETTA - After Cobb Juvenile Court Judge Gregory Poole ordered a 12-year-old boy accused of murder be moved to less-restrictive custody Tuesday, the juvenile told the judge he would like to make a comment, and said, "L'chaim," a Hebrew word meaning "to life" and used in traditional toasts.

The juvenile is accused of killing his 5-week-old cousin, Millan Young, on July 4. He has been in custody at the Cobb Youth Detention Center since July. The state has charged him with felony murder and cruelty to children.

"We are ecstatic, as I'm sure the family is, with the judge's decision today so he can continue to be a 12-year-old boy. He's a great kid, a bright kid. We hope when this is all said and done we will have him home to his family," the juvenile's attorney, Derek Wright, said.

Young's mother was in the courtroom Tuesday, along with many of the juvenile's family members. Wright said Young's mother supported the boy's release. The family cried as they watched him being escorted in by sheriff's deputies.

The juvenile was wearing a gold shirt, signifying good behavior while in custody, Poole noted.

The judge decided to move the boy to Harrington House in DeKalb County after he heard the testimony of Marjorie Frater, an expeditor for the Department of Juvenile Justice.

"He's been very compliant as far as following rules and regulations. He gets along fine with the other children. I talk on a regular basis with the staff at the facility and I've had no complaints," Frater said.

The state did not object to the boy being moved, which aided in Poole's decision.

While at Harrington House, the juvenile will be enrolled in a DeKalb transitional program, an educational facility. He will also be under house arrest and won't be able to leave the premises unless it is for education or medical reasons. His family was permitted visitation, and the boy will undergo random drug and alcohol tests.

Poole addressed the juvenile after his decision.

"You're not going home right now, but you're going to go some place better than the Youth Detention Center. This is all based on your acting the way you've been acting. If you get to Harrington House and don't follow the rules, those people (the state) are going to ask that you be put in back in the Youth Detention Center," he said. "I know you can act right. That's why you're wearing the gold shirt. I want you to promise that you'll follow the rules."

Police said the juvenile, from Tampa, Fla., killed his 5-week-old female cousin while the infant's mother went inside a Target off Dallas Highway on July 4. The Cobb County Medical Examiners Office conducted an autopsy on the infant and determined that she died from blunt force trauma to the head. The manner of death or motive in the case was not discussed in court.

The juvenile's trial will begin Oct. 7.