A boy’s mother refused to buy him a virtual reality headset on Amazon, so he unlocked the gun cabinet and killed her.
A ten-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin boy is being charged as an adult in the murder of his 44-year-old mother, after she refused to buy him an expensive virtual game headset from Amazon last week.
Quiana Mann, 44, was shot in her Milwaukee home on November 21 by her son. Police claim the boy shot his mother in the eye, hid the gun, and then told his 26-year-old sister that their mother was dead. The sister called police.
The boy admitted to the cops that he took his mother’s keys and unlocked the gun’s cabinet at around 7:00 in the morning. He said he was upset with his mom because she woke him up at 6:00, which was earlier than usual, and because she had refused to buy him the virtual reality headset he wanted for Christmas.
The boy initially said the shooting was an accident, but he admitted to an aunt that he shot his mother intentionally.
The aunt turned him in.
The day after the angry youngster killed his mother, he logged into Amazon using his mom’s account, to buy the headset.
The grandmother told police the boy told her, “I’m sorry for killing my mom,” then asked if his headset had arrived, according to the criminal complaint.
The boy’s sister told police that her brother had issues with rage and violence all his life and had mental health issues as well. When he was only four years old, he tortured his pet dog and tried to burn the house down six months ago, by starting a fire with a flammable fluid in a balloon he ignited. The flames spread to parts of the living room before it was extinguished.
The family was concerned about the boy’s mental health and a family member told the police that the child has five imaginary companions he speaks to. The imaginary people include two little girls that he calls sisters, and he describes one of the girls as an old woman, and the other as an unpleasant man.
The boy’s mother previously took her son to a therapist, and received information from the mental health professional which prompted her to install cameras around her house. The cameras were unplugged before the shooting.
Speaking to news media, Lueritha Mann, the child’s maternal grandmother, said the boy always has heard voices, and family was trying to help his mother care for him.
The deceased mom worked in the mental health field, and she had three other children.
Wisconsin law allows minors 17 or older to be charged as adults, but it is rare for a 10-year-old to be charged as an adult.
The police are charging the boy with first-degree reckless homicide. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison. Bond was set at $50,000 and the child was scheduled to be seen in court on December 7.
