Authorities in Texas stated that a 10-year-old boy has confessed to a formerly unresolved killing, revealing that he shot a guy he didn't know while the guy was asleep, as per a declaration issued by the Gonzales County Sheriff's Office on Friday.
10-Year-Old Boy Admits to Shooting Man While Asleep
The boy, who was nearly eight years old at the time of the killing two years ago, underwent assessment at a psychiatric hospital.
However, he cannot face liability due to his age at the time, according to Texas law, which necessitates a child to be at least 10 years old to face legal consequences for their actions.
The boy is presently held in juvenile confinement for a separate circumstance containing a threat to another student on a bus earlier this month.
Brandon O'Quinn Rasberry, 32, was shot in the head in 2022 while he slept at an RV park in Nixon, Texas.
The boy's potential connection to the case came to light after authorities were alerted on April 12 this year about a student making threats on a school bus. Further investigation revealed the boy's prior statements indicating his involvement in the killing.
During interviews at a child advocacy center, the boy gives details of Rasberry's death constantly with firsthand knowledge, including the details of the gun and the series of circumstances.
He narrates taking the gun from his grandfather's truck and firing Rasberry before returning the gun to the truck.
The boy indicated that he had no prior interaction with Rasberry and no motive for the shooting. Rasberry's body was found when he failed to report to work for two successive days.
Following the revelation of the pistol at a pawn shop and the matching of shell casings to the gun, the boy was placed in emergency confinement due to the weight of the violation and concerns for his mental well-being.
He underwent assessment and medications at a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio before being returned to Gonzales County and placed in juvenile confinement for the school bus incident.
As of now, it remains ambiguous whether the boy's family has legal representation.
Rasberry Family Keenly Feels His Absence, Experiencing Profound Anguish
A year after Rasberry's passing, the sheriff's office noticed the thorough agony of the victim's family, specifically during their first holiday season without him.
Rasberry's case remained unresolved until April 12, when a principal from the Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District reported a 10-year-old boy threatened to hurt another student on a bus.
Subsequently, the boy revealed to authorities that he had fatally shot a man two years prior. He described the event in detail during an interview with a child forensic interviewer, reciting that he shot Rasberry while the victim slept inside a trailer in Nixon, Texas.
According to the sheriff's office, the boy, then seven years old, took a pistol from his grandfather's truck and entered Rasberry's mobile home, where he shot a single shot at Rasberry's head before shooting another round into the couch. He then returned the gun to its original spot.
Nixon-Smiley Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Van Auken stated that the district has cooperated with the investigation and confirmed that the 10-year-old will not return to the elementary school campus.
Requests for comment from Rasberry's loved ones remained unanswered at the time of the report.
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