9-year-old who stabbed his 5-year-old sister to be tried for attempted murder

Marion County court saw the first court appearance of a nine-year-old boy who has been charged with attempted first-degree murder. The young boy will be undergoing a mental evaluation. His mother found him stabbing his five-year-old sister with a knife in their family home. It is unknown if the child will be tried as an adult or a juvenile.

On January 27, the Ocala Police Department responded to a 911 call in Ocala, Florida. The emergency call was from a distraught mother who had witnessed her youngest child being stabbed. The woman had stepped out of the family home in Berkley Point Apartments for a few moments. She was getting the mail and some candy which a neighbour had gotten for her children.

When she returned home, she saw her eldest child trying to murder the younger sibling. The boy had reportedly taken a knife from the kitchen and was repeatedly stabbing his sister. Snatching the knife from her son's hands, the mother picked up the bleeding child in her arms. Having been caught, the boy ran out of the apartment and was not found for a while.

By the time the police arrived, the victim was still responsive and alert. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital where she remains under treatment for her injuries. The police started searching for the attacker, who was found hiding in a maintenance shed.

Fox13 reported that the boy was taken into police custody when he was found. With the permission of the parents, the police questioned the boy. Officers found out that the boy had the idea of killing his sister two days before he attacked her. He also told the police that he tried to get the idea out of his head but was unsuccessful. The police report also stated that the boy attacked the sister because he wanted to go outside and while stabbing her, he repeatedly said: "Die, Die."

While the court has asked for a mental evaluation of the child, he will be brought back to court on February 5.