10-year-old Calif. boy accused of fatally stabbing 12-year-old with kitchen knife

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Crime scene in El Cajon, Calif., where police say a boy, 10, fatally stabbed a 12-year-old on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012

(Credit: CBS/KFMB)

(CBS/KFMB/AP) EL CAJON, Calif. - A 10-year-old boy is accused of fatally stabbing a 12-year-old playmate in the chest with a kitchen knife.

CBS affiliate KFMB reports the stabbing took place in the driveway of the 10-year-old's home around 1:15 p.m. Monday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The mother of the 10-year-old was home at the time of the stabbing.

The 12-year-old was rushed to a local hospital about 15 miles east of San Diego, where he died around 2:30 p.m., homicide Lt. Larry Nesbit said.

The 10-year-old was taken into custody and Nesbit said the "case will be up to the juvenile justice system."

The younger boy, whose name was withheld, allegedly stabbed the older boy with a kitchen knife and then waited as paramedics tended to his friend. A motive has yet to be established.

Neighbors said both boys were part of a group of about eight neighborhood friends who played together often. The 12-year-old lived in a nearby mobile home park but the two boys attended different schools. The younger child reportedly has well-known emotional issues, neighbors said.

Meanwhile, Derek Gorton, 18, a neighbor of the younger boy, said something as small as tapping him on the shoulder the wrong way or losing at a video game could spark outrage.

"Even though he threw temper tantrums, we never thought he'd do anything like this," Gorton said.

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by andie52 January 20, 2012 8:41 AM EST: I read in another article that the boy was born to a mother who used alcohol and/or drugs during her pregnancy. The boy was given up for adoption. He was then adopted by this woman.

The use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and drugs like meth, coke, & heroin are known to cause developmental & behavioral disorders. This poor kid didn't stand a chance from the time he was conceived. Too bad his biological mother couldn't be charged as an accessory.; Reply to this comment