| M0nKeY |
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| Joined: 09 Feb 2002 |
| Posts: 1235 |
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US authorities in New Jersey have charged a 10-year-old boy with the murder of a toddler, who was beaten, sexually assaulted and then left to die in a case that stunned the local community.
The three-year-old victim, Amir Beeks, was apparently beaten ferociously with a baseball bat and then dumped in a storm drain.
He was discovered on Wednesday afternoon local time, and taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.
Police announced on Thursday they had arrested and charged a 10-year-old boy, who lived in the same part of Woodbridge town as his alleged victim.
"This is a shocking case, this is a tragic case," local prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said, who would not specify the nature of the sexual charge.
Given the suspect's age, his identity was not revealed, but neighbours soon became aware of who he was and described to reporters a troubled loner who lived with his legally blind father.
Mr Kaplan said the boy could not be tried as an adult.
He could be sentenced to as much as 20 years on the murder charge alone.
Police said they believed the 10-year-old had lured Amir away from a local library and then killed him.
The case carried echoes of the murder of toddler James Bulger by two 10-year-olds in Liverpool, north-east England in 1993. |
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