A 10-year-old boy in Pennsylvania has been arrested and charged with criminal homicide in the slaying of an elderly woman.
The Damascus Township, Pennsylvania, boy was visiting his grandfather's home on Saturday morning when Helen Novak, 90, was killed. The boy's grandfather was a caretaker for Novak, the Wayne County District Attorney's office said in a news release.
The child's mother told police that afternoon that her son said he had gone into Novak's room, and Novak yelled at him. The boy "got mad, lost his temper and grabbed a cane and put it around Novak's throat," the news release said. According to an affidavit, the boy told police he pulled Novak down on the bed, held the cane to her throat, and punched her multiple times. He then found his grandfather and told him Novak was bleeding.
An autopsy Monday ruled Novak's death a homicide, and found blunt force trauma to her neck. The boy is being held with no bail and has been charged with homicide as an adult. He is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing next Wednesday.
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Police Charge Boy, 10, With Criminal Homicide
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— Elizabeth Chuck