10-year-old confesses to Texas authorities that he shot, killed a man sleeping in 2022

AUSTIN, Texas — Authorities in Texas said that a young child confessed to killing a man two years ago while he was being interviewed about a separate incident.

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The Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office said that on April 12 they received a call from officials at Nixon Smiley Independent School District. School officials reported that a 10-year-old boy had threatened to assault and kill a student on the bus the day before. The school went through its protocols and contacted the sheriff’s office. A deputy went to the school to take a report. It was at the school that the deputy learned that the boy made a comment that he shot and killed a man two years ago.

The child was transported to a child advocacy center to be interviewed. At the interview, the boy described that he killed a man two years ago by shooting him in a trailer in Nixon, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said that in 2022, Brandon O’Quinn Raspberry, 22, was shot and killed while he was sleeping at an RV park, according to The Associated Press. Raspberry had just moved to the RV park a couple of days prior.

Authorities learned that the boy’s grandfather lived at the same RV park, according to KENS. Officials said the day Raspberry was killed, the young child got his hands on a pistol from the glove box of his grandfather’s truck.

The child reportedly told authorities that he did not know Raspberry. According to the news station, authorities were able to find the gun, which was sold to a pawn shop in Seguin. The gun was able to be matched to the one used to kill Raspberry.

Officials said the boy was brought to a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio, according to KENS. He was placed in the custody of a detention facility based on a charge in connection with the school bus incident.

The law in Texas requires a child to be about 10 years old to be criminally culpable, according to the AP. He was just a week shy of his eighth birthday at the time of the murder so no charges can be filed, the sheriff’s office said.

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