The family of the unnamed 10-year-old Milwaukee boy who shot his mother in the face, killing her because she refused to buy him a VR headset, is speaking out claiming that he doesn’t remember the murder and is, instead, fixated on his gadgets as he faces trial as an adult.
(Video Credit: TMJ4 News)
The boy is being charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide in the November 21 killing of his mother Quiana Mann, 44. He reportedly planned her murder the night before and when she woke him at 6 am he shot her in the face killing her.
Rhonda Reid, the boy’s aunt, is still in shock and disbelief over what her nephew has done. She told WTMJ-TV on Tuesday that when she speaks with the boy, he fixates on his electronics.
“When he calls, he’s just like, ‘Make sure all my tablets and laptop and everything of mine is properly packaged,'” Reid recounted.
She noted that her nephew has been in therapy for over a year for mood and conduct disorders. Part of his therapy included limiting his access to electronic devices which proved fatal to his mother. His family also contends that the boy has “rage” issues and hears imaginary people, which sounds a lot like schizophrenia.
Be careful what you allow to entertain your kids.
Early this month it was reported how a 10-year-old Milwaukee boy shot his mother dead after she refused to let him buy a virtual reality headset on Amazon.
— jonathan johnson (@JayDaKris4real) December 24, 2022
Reid remarked that he “was upset about these devices being taken away.”
“There are no winners in this situation,” she added.
The child’s grandmother, Lueritha Mann, is heartbroken over all of it. She can’t even bring herself to talk to the boy, telling WTMJ-TV, “I hope I do one day, but right now no. He took something very precious from me.”
“I can’t believe he did it,” the grandmother wept, adding, “He needs to pay for what he’s done.”
Prosecutors are stating that after the boy’s mother refused to buy him a $500 Oculus VR headset, he shot her in the face and then used her credit card to buy one of the devices online.
This kid sounds like he may suffer from Childhood Onset Schizophrenia. I have a son who became schizophrenic at age 9.
— Rex Ratio (Official) (@vermontaigne) December 1, 2022
In true sociopathic form, the boy then allegedly told his grandmother that he was “sorry” for killing his mother. He then asked her where his package was.
Bail is currently set at $50,000 for the boy. His attorney, Angela Cunningham, has requested that it be reduced to $100 which is the amount the child has in his piggy bank.
“We have spoken to him about his ability to post anything,” Cunningham informed the court. “He told us about piggy banks with savings that he had from gifts, from birthday gifts. And scavenging through cushions in the couch that he’s been able to save up.”
The request was denied by Judge Jane Carroll. If somehow he does manage to post bail, she has imposed a travel restriction on the boy, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Since the boy is being charged as an adult, the judge denied the request that he be released to the custody of a family member if he does post bail.
Wisconsin state law mandates that children as young as 10 will be charged as adults for serious crimes, such as murder. The boy faces up to 60 years in prison if he is convicted. Currently, he is being held in juvenile detention and his identity is being withheld due to his age.
According to the police, the boy initially claimed the shooting was an accident. He told them that his mother had walked in front of him while he was aiming at a wall to “scare her.” He then said he accidentally shot her in the head, according to criminal charges obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The boy first told police the shooting was an accident, but a day later, his relatives contacted police questioning his story and the child later admitted that he intentionally pointed a gun at his mother before shooting her, according to the criminal complaint.
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) December 1, 2022
In a subsequent interview, he admitted that he intentionally aimed at his mother before shooting her.
After killing his mother, the boy allegedly hid the gun in a closet and told his older sister Brianna Moore, 26, that their mother, who worked in behavioral health, was dead, according to the complaint. His sister then called 911.
The boy was left with his family at first after the police reported the shooting as being caused by a child “playing” with a gun. The child’s family called the police a day later realizing that was not the case. The boy evidently got a hold of the key to the gun box.
The boy’s aunt asked him about the shooting and he told her that had pointed the gun at his mother and that she told him to put it down. Both the aunt and sister stated that he never cried or showed any remorse for what he had done. He also physically attacked his seven-year-old cousin the same day.
The family claims that the child has “concerning” mental health issues and that he has exhibited disturbing behavior in the past.
They allege that when he was four, the boy swung the family’s puppy around by its tail and that six months ago, he filled a balloon with a flammable liquid and set it on fire. It caused an explosion that burned furniture and the carpet. When asked about the incident, the boy reportedly responded, “Two sisters told him to do it.” Those are evidently imaginary people. He also speaks to a non-existent old woman and two “mean” men.
The boy’s family told detectives he had received an unspecified but “concerning” mental health diagnosis from a therapist and had a history of disturbing behavior, including setting the living room furniture on fire and swinging a puppy by its tail, the complaint says.
— Molly Beck (@MollyBeck) December 1, 2022
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