Police in New York have charged two brothers aged eight and 10 in the death of their four-year-old neighbor with the dead boy's five-year-old sister as the only eyewitness, police sources said today.
Michael Emmanuel Barima was stabbed on Wednesday with a pointed object that pierced his jugular vein, medical examiners said. Police recovered a green pen that fit the description of the pointed object.
Police charged the boys on the testimony of the victim's sister, Abigail Ghunney, after determining she was too young and had too little time to fabricate her story, local media reported.
"The key witness is five years old, it's her word against the two boys. Her age supported her story, her innocence," police commander Joseph Reznick told the New York Times.
New York state law allows children as young as seven to be charged with crimes as juvenile delinquents and tried before a judge. If convicted, the boys could be sentenced to up to 18 months in a limited secure facility.
AFP