11-year-old boy to stand trial for mother's murder, motive suspected to be VR headset
An 11-year-old Wisconsin boy accused of murdering his mother has been ordered to stand trial.
The boy is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. The district attorney's office is seeking to try him as an adult. The court has ordered that the boy's name not be revealed because he may still be tried as a child.
In July, the court found the boy competent, according to court records.
The court found "probable cause and bound defendant over for trial" denying the defense's motion to dismiss the case, according to court records.
The boy is accused of killing his mother last November, when he was just 10 years old, according to court records.
Milwaukee Detective Timothy Keller testified in court on Tuesday about speaking with the boy about his mother's death.
"Originally he informed me that he wasn't sure what had occurred. That he had just found his mother in the basement, believed she was deceased," Keller said in court, according to Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN.
The detective said he questioned the boy the next day and the 10-year-old admitted shooting her but called it an accident, according to WISN.
"[The boy] stated that he took up a shooting stance and was pointing the gun at her as she was walking towards him and asking him to put it down. And that's when he indicated that he fired the gun with his intent to scare her by shooting the wall behind her," Keller testified.
"He had made a purchase on his mother's Amazon account for some virtual reality goggles the morning after this homicide occurred. And [family] were concerned because he had had an argument with her about whether he could have these prior to the homicide," Keller said.
The boy pleaded not guilty and remains in custody, according to court records.
