Boy Charged in Killing to Undergo Tests
A 9-year-old Bellflower boy, possibly the youngest person in the county to be charged with murder, will undergo psychological tests by two doctors in the next month and a half.
The boy, who has not been identified because of his age, is accused of killing his 11-year-old brother with a steak knife while a baby-sitter was away. He has denied the charge. Juveniles deny or admit “petitions” rather than plead guilty or not guilty as adults do.
Doctors will try to determine the boy’s mental state at the time of the killing.
Sheriff’s detectives initially believed that the older brother was accidentally stabbed as the pair roughhoused last month. But after interviewing the boy and the baby-sitter’s 11-year-old son, who witnessed the stabbing, they arrested the boy.
The boy was released from custody about three weeks ago and is living with his mother. A Juvenile Court judge in Downey scheduled another pretrial hearing for Dec. 1.
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