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AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy beat a baby girl to death to stop her crying while her mother was out partying at a nightclub, US police said today, charging him with murder.
The boy was one of several children left alone for hours in a Birmingham, Alabama home last month.
“Since becoming a police officer over 22 years ago, this is by far one of the saddest cases I have witnessed in my career,” Birmingham police spokesman Lieutenant Sean Edwards told AFP.
The incident happened at the home of a friend of the baby’s mother, whom police have identified as a 26-year-old woman.
She has been charged with manslaughter over what Edwards called her “reckless” actions.
Police said the mother left her one-year-old together with several children aged two to eight, while she and the friend went out clubbing.
The children – six in total, according to local media – were left unsupervised while the child’s mother and her friend were gone from roughly 11.00pm until 2.00am.
“It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the eight-year-old viciously attacked the one-year-old because the one-year-old would not stop crying,” police said in a statement.
“The one-year-old suffered from severe head trauma as well as major internal organ damage which ultimately led to her death.”
The mother told police on the morning of October 11, a Sunday, that she found the baby unresponsive in her crib.
The girl was treated at the scene by first responders and was later pronounced dead at a children’s hospital.
“This type of behavior, this type of irresponsibility on behalf of a parent is totally unacceptable,” Edwards said.
“No education, no school, no degree, no training can really prepare you for an eight-year old committing a heinous crime like this.”
The mother was released on $15,000 bail. The Department of Human Resources said it had no prior complaints concerning the mother or her daughter.
The DHR is holding the boy and won’t release his name.
It is rare, but not unheard of in the United States, for children involved in the deaths of other children to face serious charges.
An 11-year-old boy from Tennessee was charged with first degree murder last month after he shot and killed his eight-year-old neighbor, after arguing over a puppy.
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How terribly sad. If justice was to be done correctly the mother should face the charges.
She has been charged with manslaughter and she deserves everything she gets. Poor kids…
I think she shouldn’t have been charged with manslaughter unless she knew her 8 year old was psychotic. She should have just been charged with neglect or nothing. She’s suffering enough. This this such a horrible tragedy but blaming the mother is just the easy option. She presumably loved her baby and she is the victim of this tragedy. I can’t imagine how upsetting it must be to come home to find your baby had been killed. My heart goes out to her.
jack
““It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the eight-year-old viciously attacked the one-year-old because the one-year-old would not stop crying,” police said in a statement.”
No wonder the 8 year old beat the kid. You can be damn full sure the 8 year old was beaten all his life and was just acting out what he himself was subjected to.
Jack did u read it?
I don’t think you know how manslaughter works.
It’s just my opinion.
Michael O’Connor is one of these people who just collects green thumbs on the journal. He thinks if you don’t say something that gets green thumbs you must be thick.
I would personally trust an 8 year old to be alone with a baby. Not for 2 or 3 hours of course, for 5 minutes maybe. It’s just my opinion that she shouldn’t be charged with manslaughter. I think she must be going through hell and locking her up won’t help anyone.
Lock up the mother and her friend. They should never be allowed to look after children again. Absolute thrash.
I wouldn’t trust the mother with a goldfish, how selfish.
And obviously the mother didnt raise the boy properly.. She is mostly to blame, no 8 year old could fully understand the extent to what they are doing at that particular time.
A baby crying can push adults to the edge. The boy should never have been put in that situation. This is just tragic. Some children never have a chance in life. Especially with parents like that.
My guess, that kid witnessed a similar level of violence in the home on certain occasions.
I can’t believe what I’ve just read! It’s too awful
Unbelievable how someone could leave kids alone like that, what the hell was she thinking.
Your username is pretty apt when thinking of how to describe this woman.
I’ve said it before, you need a license for a dog, but any irresponsible fu€kwit can have a child. Disgraceful behaviour from a “parent” leaving children alone and unsupervised.
I think most social problems are due to poor parenting. Tis a sad situation.
Eh…. Any irresponsible fuczwit can also own a dog?
Mother should be spayed.
Is it really the 8 year old you charge? Horrible decision.
O my God. The poor baby and all those other poor children. And The 8 yr old charged with murder? 8? He can’t possibly have known what the outcome would be. I agree with others, I’m pretty sure this didn’t come out of the blue, he has seen violence. As to the mother (I use the term loosely), charge her with murder not manslaughter. Who the hell leaves small kids at home alone? I will be keeping a close eye on this to see what happens. The world is on its head.
A horrible and tragic death but under any civilised legal system, an 8 year old child would be treated an incapable of forming the specific intent to murder. The consequences without a murder or homicide charge for the 8 year old are going to be immense. The taking of a criminal prosecution will make a dreadful situation even worse.
Someone needs to hold that little boy tight and love him. He couldn’t know what he’s done
Omg shocking to read mother should also be charged with murder
Quite rightly we are astonished. But – with our inherent drug/drink culture – it could easily happen here. In Dublin or Limerick maybe…
What are you on about? Ridiculous comment.
Such an upsetting story.
Meanwhile hundreds of armed killer US cops walk free to kill again with impunity.
This Dr. Femi is some man for one man
Hope the parents were charged for leaving an 8 year old in charge of 6 very tired and emotionally stressed kids, which I’m sure he was too. A child of 8 cannot be expected to cope in a situation in which he was left and not snap under the pressure. Poor kid.
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