12-Year-Old Charged With Manslaughter In Infant's Death
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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami) - A 12-year-old West Palm Beach boy charged with manslaughter in the death of an infant appeared before a judge Thursday.
According to investigators, the 12-year-old and someone else were left with the four-month-old baby and two other children for more than six hours in a home last December. When the mother returned, she found the infant was not breathing.
West Palm Beach Fire Rescue were called to the home in the 800 block of 44th Street and found the unresponsive baby. They immediately rushed the baby to St. Mary's Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
West Palm Beach police got a lot more information about a week later. That's when they say the 12-year-old went to a school resource officer saying, "I have something serious to tell you, but I have to write it down," the child said.
Police say the child wrote on a piece of paper, "I killed my nephew."
The school resource officer said he went on to say, "his nephew wouldn't stop crying so he took a pillow and put the pillow over the baby's face to get him to stop crying."
On Wednesday, a warrant was issued for his arrest on the charge of manslaughter. He was picked up by U.S. Marshals and taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The judge is allowing the 12-year-old to go home and be held under house arrest. He is not allowed to be around children under 10 years of age without supervision.
Prosecutors will now have three weeks to determine whether or not they will charge the 12-year-old as an adult.