A 10-year-old boy confessed to shooting and killing a man in his sleep two years ago, Texas authorities said.
Brandon Rasberry was killed while sleeping at a recreational vehicle (RV) park in Nixon, Texas, in January 2022, just four days after moving to the region.
The 32-year-old’s body was discovered after he failed to show up for work for two days. He had been shot in the head.
The Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office said the child — who was seven years old at the time of the shooting and did not know Mr. Rasberry — cannot be charged with the crime because of his age.
Under Texas law, a child must be at least ten years old to be criminally culpable. The boy was later evaluated at a psychiatric hospital and is being held in juvenile detention for a separate incident.
Speaking to local news outlet KSAT, the victim’s father, Kenneth Rasberry, said: “This is a boy, for reasons that I’m sure these counselors and case managers and everything, are going to wreck that poor boy’s brain.
“He needs prayer. He needs to be comforted… He’s forgiven. And he can still be saved. He’s so young. He’s definitely tormented by something.”
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Boy threatened to kill student
The sheriff’s office said they were called on April 12 about a boy who threatened to attack and kill another student on a bus the day before.
When a deputy arrived at the school, he spoke with staff who told him the child admitted to shooting and killing a man in 2022.
After transporting him to an advocacy center, he admitted to killing Mr. Rasberry in the trailer park and described the incident in detail.
According to the sheriff’s office, the child said he was visiting his grandfather – who lived near Mr. Rasberry – at the Lazy J RV Park.
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Brandon Rasberry was killed in the trailer park in Nixon, Texas, just four days after moving in. Photo: Google Street View
On Jan. 16, the child said he took a pistol from the glove compartment of his grandfather’s truck and then entered the trailer belonging to Mr. Rasberry. He then shot him once in the head.
Upon leaving the mobile home, the child fired another shot at a couch, before returning the gun to the truck’s glove compartment.
The child added that he had never met Mr. Rasberry and said he was not upset with him before the shooting.
He was placed on emergency detention for 72 hours and later transported to a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio for evaluation and treatment.
Upon being released from the hospital, the child was booked on charges related to the terroristic threat school bus incident and was placed in detention.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
