12-year-old girl in Oklahoma stabs younger brother | Timeline

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Law and Crime Network shared bodycam footage of a concerning juvenile case from January 2023. A 12-year-old girl was taken into police custody after she stabbed her 9-year-old younger brother in Oklahoma. The incident occurred before midnight while her parents were asleep on the first floor.

The case has since gone viral among netizens concerned about the suspect and the rise of juvenile crime. In their official report, authorities working on this case noted that it is the second murder in Tulsa this year, while New York Post further added that it is also the second sibling homicide of the year.

Content Warning: The article mentions details of a homicide investigation, including footage that might be difficult for some readers.

A 12-year-old stabbed her 9-year-old brother before midnight

Tulsa department police shared that they received an emergency call from Tulsa’s downtown St. Thomas Square neighborhood around 11:43 P.M. on January 5, 2023. They dispatched to the location and discovered that paramedics and emergency responders were performing life-saving procedures for a 9-year-old with stab wounds.

  • “The initial investigation revealed that the 12-year-old girl suspect woke her parents, who were asleep upstairs, and confessed that she had stabbed her younger brother,” police shared in a statement on January 6, 2023.

The Law and Crime bodycam footage shares the investigation of a 12-year-old who stabbed her 9-year-old brother in Oklahoma. The suspect descends from the stairs, repeatedly shouting, “I am sorry” through tears. Seconds later, her mother, April Lyda, follows her down, screaming from the shock of the incident.

  • “There are stab wounds in the chest,” Lyda shares with her daughter scolding her that she should pray that her brother would survive. The 9-year-old younger brother victim was taken to a hospital for surgery but couldn’t survive the stabbing injuries and passed away at 2:30 A.M. the next day.

“I am a good child,” the suspect says to police in the petrol car

The footage continues to show the investigation at the suspect’s home. A police officer asks her if she has the weapon when she shares that she threw it outside from the first-floor window. April Lyda shouts, “You used a knife?” and her daughter keeps apologizing, stating she doesn’t know what happened.

The officer checks her for cuts or any injuries she might have obtained, but all the wounds are old. One of the cuts looks recent, he notes, but it wasn’t bleeding. Following this, police take the suspect into custody, and the footage shows their conversation in the patrol car.

  • The frightened suspect keeps insisting she is going to jail while the officer tries to calm her sharing that it is too soon to tell and she wouldn’t be going to jail. “I have ruined my life and everything. It’s my fault,” the girl says in the car. The officer consoles her that nothing is ruined and it is nobody’s fault.

  • The highly edited footage shows her praying to God for help and repeating that she is sorry and she is going to jail. “I want to wake up from this nightmare,” the suspect pleads at one point. She also asks the police if the handcuffs are necessary and says she is a good girl.
  • The police explain that they are part of the departmental procedure due to the nature of the crime. Later, the handcuffs are removed so she can use the restroom before the footage skips to her going to the police station for a formal investigation.
  • After April Lyda’s statement and a second officer’s explanation of the event, one of the officers comments, “You just wonder what a 12-year-old is thinking in her mind,” and the footage ends.

The suspect confesses the crime, but the motive remains unclear

According to recent updates, police took custody of the suspect and further investigated the event. One of the Oklahoma officials shared with the media that investigating a 12-year-old isn’t easy and will require time.

The suspect is presently at a Tusla, Oklahoma juvenile detention center after she confessed to stabbing her brother. However, the motive behind the crime remains unclear. The suspect will further receive a sentence according to the laws for juvenile crime.

Meanwhile, April Lyda has surpassed the $8000 mark on her GoFundMe page, started by a close friend, Jennifer Anthamatten, for the grief-stricken family. The page describes the 12-year-old suspect as a well-behaved child with no history of behavioral problems.

  • The page also remembers the young boy as a sweet, kind, and obedient child who wanted to make his mother proud and loved his sister and brother very much.

What’s your opinion about Oklahoma’s juvenile crime and Law and Crime’s footage? Share with us in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!