A 16-year-old East Texas girl accused of being involved with three friends in the savage murders of three family members can be tried as an adult, a judge in the Rains County case has ruled.

Erin Caffey has been moved from juvenile custody to the Hopkins County Jail in Sulphur Springs, which is north of Rains County, where the murders occurred this past March. She faces three counts of capital murder, which could lead to life prison sentences -- much longer sentences than she would have faced if prosecuted in juvenile court.

Caffey was 16 in March at the time her mother and two younger brothers were murdered at their home in Alba, which is located northwest of Tyler. Her father, Terry, was shot five times but managed to get out of the house before it was set on fire and dragged himself to a neighbor's house to get help.

Rains County investigators said Charlie Wilkinson, 19, Charles Allen Waid, 20, and Bobbi Gale Johnson, 18, all from near Emory, have already been charged with capital murder in connection with the pre-dawn massacre. They are awaiting trial.

Killed were Penny Caffey, 37, Matthew Caffey, 13, and Tyler Caffey, 8. The younger boy was stabbed; the other two victims were shot, investigators said.

Investigators said the parents had told their daughter she had to stop dating Wilkinson and had taken away her cell phone. They said the four suspects had discussed killing Caffey's parents for weeks.

The hearing on whether to charge Caffey as an adult was held Wednesday in Rains County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report