An 11-year-old boy in Wisconsin, accused of fatally shooting his mother, was seen coloring and playing with a toy in court this week. The judge has ruled that he will face trial for first-degree intentional homicide. The boy’s identity is being withheld due to the possibility that he may be tried in juvenile court, as per Wisconsin law, if the judge grants a waiver to reverse his current adult status.
The victim, Quiana Mann, 44, was killed in her home’s basement in November. The Milwaukee police report states that the then 10-year-old boy shot her in the right eye. The boy’s account of the incident has varied, according to local NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV. Initially, he told Detective Timothy Keller that he found his mother in the basement, believing she was dead. Later, he stated that he had pointed the gun at her intending to scare her by shooting the wall behind her.
The boy’s story changed over time, at one point claiming the gun had discharged accidentally, and at another, that he thought it was a “confetti gun.” Detective Keller, who initially released the boy back to his family, admitted that he may have overlooked certain red flags.
The police report also indicates that the boy attempted to hide the gun used in the shooting and informed an older sibling of their mother’s death. An aunt claimed that the boy confessed to her that he had intentionally aimed at his mother.
The boy reportedly told the police that he had unlocked the gun from a safe that morning. He also allegedly expressed anger towards his mother for waking him up early and refusing to buy him an Oculus virtual reality headset. This claim was later supported when family members discovered that he had purchased the headset using his mother’s Amazon account the morning after her death.
The boy is scheduled to appear in court again on October 6, when the judge may decide whether to issue a reverse waiver and try him through the juvenile system. In July, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Jane Carroll deemed him competent to stand trial as an adult, following evaluations by two psychologists with differing opinions on his understanding of his alleged actions.