Siblings Murder 6 year-old brother

http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/041602dnmetmissingboy.7c756ea0.html

Police: Siblings confess to killing brother
04/16/2002

By WALT ZWIRKO / Dallas Web Staff


The siblings of a 6-year-old boy admitted to killing their brother after his body was found early Tuesday buried in a shallow grave with a puncture wound in the neck, police said.

Authorities are holding Jackson Carr’s 10-year-old brother and 15-year-old sister in custody, Lewisville police Officer Richard Douglass said.

“It’s a homicide. They just confessed to the death and burying the child,” Officer Douglass said. “We do not have a motive at this time.”

Jackson’s body was found in a wooded area about 100 yards from his house in the 500 block of Barfknecht Lane in Lewisville. Jackson was reported missing around 5 p.m. Monday after his 10-year-old brother told their parents he couldn’t find him after a game of hide-and-seek.

Police were called at 6:44 p.m. and about 30 police and fire personnel conducted a search, which included a helicopter, dogs and thermal imaging devices, Officer Douglass said. About 20 neighbors also helped in the search.

Police said the boy’s sister led them to the makeshift grave after investigators searched the family’s home and found unspecified evidence related to the crime.

The 10-year-old brother said he held Jackson down during the incident, Officer Douglass said.

By law, children ages 10 and older can face juvenile crime charges. A juvenile judge ultimately determines the punishment route for young offenders. In the traditional system, called indeterminate sentencing, the most severe punishment is a sentence to a Texas Youth Commission facility until age 21.


Since 1990, judges have been able to use stricter guidelines that allow for confinement of up to 40 years. In those cases, the offenders are reevaluated when they reach 21 and can be transferred at that time to an adult prison.

Children as young as 13 can also be certified to stand trial as an adult, depending on the circumstances and the type of crime.

Neighbor Matt Houser, who helped look for the child, said the 15-year-old sister approached the searchers before the boy was found.

"The little girl rode up on a little scooter,” Mr. Houser, 32, said. She said, “ ‘If they don't find him, I think I'm just going to scream.’ But the way she said it, you know, was like nonchalant. She wasn't upset at all,” he said.

Mr. Houser said a red tent was found about 100 feet away from the crime scene in a wooded area behind the neighborhood.

"It just blows me away,” he said. "I've been out here 27 years, and this is the first time anything like this has ever happened,” he said. "It's so crazy. There's no really logical way to look at it."

Flags were at half-staff Tuesday morning at Central Elementary where Jackson attended school. Counselors were on hand to console students who heard the news.

"There are some really upset kids today,” Assistant Principal Johnny Thomas said. “It’s really bad - bad for everyone. We have three counselors here and they’ll be working with the first grade since they are the ones who knew the child.”

Jackson's classmates will likely remember him as a gregarious child, Mr. Thomas said.

"He was a very active student," Mr. Thomas said. "He was always looking around and was a little showman from time to time. I caught him singing and dancing in the bathroom one time. He made a comment to a teacher that he should be in the talent show next year. He was a very likeable child."