2 Who Killed Boy, 5, Sent to Youth Home

Two young boys who dropped a 5-year-old to his death from a 14th-floor apartment because he wouldn’t steal candy for them will be confined to a youth home for no more than 10 years, a judge ruled Tuesday.

The boys, now 11 and 12, were convicted of the juvenile equivalent of first-degree murder. They could be kept in custody until they are 21, but could be released earlier if a court determines that they have made enough progress.

Juvenile Court Judge Carol Kelly said she wants the state to locate a center that can offer hope of returning the boys to society.

Kelly set Dec. 19 for a hearing on a defense motion for a new trial and to find out if the state has found a facility that will accept the boys.

The neatly dressed boys stood impassively before the judge, surrounded by parents, lawyers and parole officers, during a brief hearing that made no mention of the horrifying details of the death of 5-year-old Eric Morse.

He was killed Oct. 13, 1994, when he was dangled, then dropped from a window at the Chicago Housing Authority’s Ida B. Wells apartment building. Prosecutors said the suspects were angry because Eric had gotten them in trouble with their mothers and wouldn’t steal candy for them.