Girls held in brother’s killing to be charged as juveniles

Author: Associated Press
Published:
MGN Online

WHITE SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) – Two north Florida sisters, ages 11 and 15, will be charged as juveniles in the slaying of their 16-year-old brother, authorities said Wednesday.

Public Defender Blair Payne, whose office is representing the elder girl, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office say prosecutors have informed them the girls will be charged with second-degree murder.

Police say the 15-year-old sister had been locked in her room on Jan. 5 by her brother after their parents left on a truck-driving run.

The reports say after the brother fell asleep, the girl was able to convince the younger sister to free her. The older sister then went outside and climbed through the window of her parents’ locked bedroom to get a pistol, police said.

The boy was shot once in the neck, according to police reports. The girls fled the house, leaving their 3-year-old sister with her dead brother.

Police say they found the two of them later after the younger girl called a friend saying she needed a ride from a Dollar General store. The friend’s parent alerted police.

Documents show the eldest daughter suffered years of abuse at home, including being locked up sometimes for weeks at a time with only a blanket, along with a bucket for a bathroom. Her parents had also removed her from school.

The reports also show that the older girl had been sexually abused by an uncle years before the shooting.

The parents are in jail on charges of felony child neglect, and the 3-year-old is in the custody of child welfare officials.

The two girls are in juvenile detention facilities, and were facing the possibility of being charged as adults.

Third Circuit State Attorney Jeff Siegmeister did not return a call seeking comment, but he told the Florida Times-Union (http://bit.ly/1DGDbXw) he planned to file the second-degree murder charges on Thursday. He said the parents could face harsher charges if the girls decide to cooperate.

Because of the girls’ ages and abuse allegations, The Associated Press is not naming anyone in the family.

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