His mom refused to buy him a virtual reality headset, so he unlocked the gun cabinet and killed her at close range.
A ten-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin boy will be 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, near 87th and Hemlock, on November 21. The police report claims that the child shot his mother in the eye, hid the gun, and then told his older 26-year-old sister that their mother was dead. The sister called 911.
The boy admitted to the police that he took his mother’s keys and unlocked the gun’s safe and took out the gun at around 7:00 in the morning. He was angry with his mom because she woke him up at 6:00, and because she had refused to buy him the virtual reality headset for Christmas.
The police report says that the boy at first said he accidentally shot his mother, so he was not arrested. However, a day later, the child’s relatives realized that the boy was lying, and told police that he had told his aunt that he was aiming at his mother and that the shooting was intentional. This prompted the police to arrest him.
The day after he killed his mother, the boy logged into Amazon using his mom’s account, to buy the headset.
The sister told law enforcement that her brother had rage and violence issues his entire life. When he was only four years old, he tortured his dog until it screamed out in pain. The boy also allegedly tried to burn his home down six months ago and started a fire by putting flammable fluid in a balloon and igniting it. The fire spread to parts of the living room before it was put out.
The family was concerned about the boy’s mental health and one family member told the police the child has five imaginary people he communicates with. 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 had taken him to a therapist and received concerning news from the mental health professional, which prompted her to install cameras around her house. Unfortunately, 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 the family was trying to help his mother care for him.
The deceased mom worked in the mental health field, and the boy is one of her four 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 could face 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.