The family of a 10-year-old Wisconsin boy accused of killing his mother is speaking out as they try to come to grips with the tragic incident.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Quiana Mann’s son is being charged as an adult, as homicide cases are automatically handled in adult court once the defendant turns 10.
Reports indicated that the boy shot Mann, 44, in the face at their Milwaukee home on November 21 for not buying him a virtual reality headset and waking him up early. He initially claimed he accidentally shot his mother while twirling the gun; he allegedly said he meant to shoot the wall to scare her.
After the shooting, police say he purchased an Oculus Virtual Reality Headset from Amazon. That same morning he reportedly attacked his 7-year-old cousin, leading his aunt to take him to his grandmother’s house, where child welfare workers were waiting.
According to TMJ 4, the child’s grandmother and victim’s mother, Lueritha Mann, is still in shock over the incident and can’t bring herself to speak to him.
“I can’t believe he did it,” the boy’s grandmother, Lueritha Mann, said. “I hope I do one day, but right now, no. He took something very precious from me.”
According to police, the boy stated that he understood that guns could kill people. Mann had set up cameras around the home, but they were unplugged at the time of the incident.
He’s now charged with first-degree reckless homicide and first-degree intentional homicide.
The defendant’s aunt, Rhonda Reid, told TMJ 4 that she would have never imagined that he could do such an act, despite his past aggression issues. She said he had been going to therapy for around a year, and limiting his access to electronics had been part of his treatment plan.
“When he calls, he’s just like, ‘make sure all my tablets and laptop and everything of mine is packaged,'” Reid said after the defendant called from the juvenile facility where he’s being held.
Reid said she’s torn about whether the boy should be charged as an adult for the shooting.
“That’s a difficult question,” Reid responded. “I do understand how they (prosecutors) were able to come up with that charge…No matter what happens with him, I’m not sure in this state that he would receive proper care anyway.”
Lueritha Mann said her grandson needs to “pay for what he did.”
According to reports, the boy’s family had been concerned with his “rage issues” for some time. They told police of an instance where the then 4-year-old boy swung their puppy until it howled in agony. Mann allegedly got rid of the dog as she feared for its safety.
Six months before the deadly shooting, the boy allegedly filled a balloon with a flammable liquid and set it on fire in the home, causing extensive damage. He then told his mother that he heard five imaginary people talking to him — two sisters, an older woman, a man, and a second man who he called “mean.”
Mann’s son is due back in court on January 19.
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[Featured image: Quiana Mann/Facebook]
Additional reporting by Jacquelyn Gray
