Associated Press
District Heights, MD--A 12-year-old boy accused of beating and stabbing to death his mother and younger brother was charged as a juvenile Monday with two counts of first-degree murder.
Katrina Denise Powe, 31, and 9-year-old Mystery Toma Hillian were found dead Sunday in the family's apartment outside Washington after police received a 911 call. Authorities have not said who made the call. Detectives interviewed the boy and arrested him there, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland. He said the boy implicated himself.
Copeland initially said a metal bar believed used in the killings was normally used to secure a car's steering wheel to prevent theft, but later corrected that description. No relatives attended the hearing and the boy was represented by a public defender.
Prosecutors said the 12-year-old's father was on his way Monday to Maryland from North Carolina. Children under 14 cannot be charged with homicide as adults in Maryland and are not eligible for the death penalty, said Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman with the office of the county state's attorney.
At 12, the defendant is believed to be one of the youngest ever charged with homicide in Maryland. If found responsible for the deaths, the boy could be held until he is 21 years of age.
Neighbors described the 12-year-old boy as a bully. "He was a bad kid," said 10-year-old Jasmine Williams. "He would get himself in trouble hitting people."
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