MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: An 11-year-old boy who reportedly shot dead his mother for not buying him a virtual reality headset is set to stand trial as an adult. The unidentified child who was 10 at the time of the November 2022 shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was examined by two psychologists and charged as an adult before the Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jane Carroll in July.
According to The Milwaukee Sentinel Journal, the psychologists had different opinions on whether the boy was aware of the severity of the unlawful act that he committed. The accused's attorney expressed doubts to Carroll that he could advocate for himself in his defense, Law and Crime reported.
However, it was the judge who made the decision that the boy was ready to face trial as an adult, adding that he had no “major mental diagnosis,” per the outlet.
The boy's sister informed the authorities about the crime
According to a criminal complaint in December last year, the boy allegedly fatally shot his mother when she refused to buy him a virtual reality headset from Amazon. Quiana Mann, 44, was allegedly shot in the eye by her son at her home in Milwaukee on November 21, 2022.
The complaint added that the boy tried to conceal the weapon before informing his older sister that their mother had died. The sister dialed the emergency services, the complaint continued. At around 7 am that day, the boy allegedly unlocked the gun from his mom's locked safe.
He later confessed to the authorities that he was upset with his mother for waking him up 30 minutes early and not allowing him to purchase the headset from Amazon. The complaint further went on to state that the child logged into his deceased mother's Amazon account to purchase the Oculus Virtual Reality Headset the next day.
Did the boy accidentally shoot his mother?
Following the horrifying incident, the child allegedly claimed he had accidentally shot his mom in the eye, after which he was allowed to stay with his family. However, the next day, family members contacted police with doubts about the boy’s honesty. The complaint reportedly noted that he confessed to his aunt that he had "actually [been] aiming the gun at his mother."
The child had behavioral issues
The child had “rage issues” throughout his life, the complaint stated, as his family members informed the detectives. It also mentioned that when the defendant was only four years old, he allegedly swung his puppy by the tail until the dog "whined and howled in pain." Besides, he also allegedly set a fire in the family home by inflating a balloon with combustible liquid and igniting it, per the complaint.
The boy received a "concerning diagnosis" from a therapist, prompting the now dead mother to set up cameras around the home, which were unplugged before the shooting — the complaint said, according to documents from a therapist.
What did the boy's grandmother say?
"He's always said that he hears voices," the child's grandmother, Lueritha Mann, told The Daily Beast. "We tried helping her with him. All of us, everybody that knows her, even her church people," she added to the outlet.
"We all tried helping her with him because we knew he had a mental illness."
What charges does the accused face?
The boy faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide and was previously in custody with a $50,000 bond and if found guilty, he could spend up to 60 years in prison. Milwaukee police previously told in a statement that the department was still "investigating the fatal shooting … that occurred on Monday, November 21, 2022, at approximately 6:50 am."
"MPD would like to remind the public to keep firearms secured with a gun lock and out of the reach of children," the police spokesperson said.
