A 12-year old boy has been taken into custody for allegedly stabbing his eight-year old sister to death, the boy’s lawyer said Tuesday according to CBS News. He was arrested Saturday and charged with second degree murder.
Attorney Mark Reichel told the Associated Press his client may have made up a story about witnessing a long-haired intruder run from the house and scaring him away but that does not mean he killed his sister.
He added the boy might have made up the “macho” story because he was scared.
Reichel examined the scene of the crime Tuesday.
The eight-year old girl, Leila Fowler, was discovered with stab wounds on April 27.
Leila’s parents thought she was ok when they made a 911 call from a separate location. A recording made public Tuesday shows a woman made a call to authorities after learning about an intruder from the 12-year old boy.
According to the call, Leila’s mother believed both children were not hurt.
"My children are at home alone and a man just ran out of our house. My older son was in the bathroom and my daughter started screaming. He came out and a man was in the house," the panicked caller said in the April 27 call. "They said they're OK."
The caller added “My daughter is freaking out right now.” Sadly, her daughter was actually dying of stab wounds.
Since her brother told police he had scared away the intruder, Calaveras County sheriff's investigators spent two weeks going door-to-door and collecting evidence.
The boy is scheduled to appear in junvenile court Wednesday.
His father, Barney, says he needs to see proof before believing his son committed a crime.
“Until they have the proper evidence to show it's my son, we're standing behind him. If they have the evidence, well that's another story. We're an honest family,” he said according to the Associated Press.
