Attorney for 10-year-old Wisconsin boy accused of killing his mom asks to lower bail to $100

[Jilly_in_VA]

An attorney for a 10-year-old Wisconsin boy accused of fatally shooting his mother because she wouldn't allow him to order a virtual reality headset from Amazon asked for the child's bail to be lowered from $50,000 to $100, court records show.

During a hearing Wednesday, the attorney, Angela Cunningham, asked for the lower bail amount because the child has no source of income, NBC affiliate WTMJ of Milwaukee reported.

“My team and I have spoken to him about his ability to post anything. He told us about piggy banks with savings that he had from gifts, from birthday gifts and scavenging through cushions in the couch that he's been able to save up,” Cunningham said in court, according to the news station.

A judge denied the request, keeping bail at $50,000. The court also set a travel restriction if bail is posted, requiring the boy to stay in Milwaukee County.

Attorneys for the child, who was charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide and an alternative charge of first-degree intentional homicide, asked for the latter charge to be dropped, according to court records. A decision has not been made on that matter.

The boy's attorneys did not immediately return requests for comment on Friday.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/attorney-10-year-old-wisconsin-boy-accused-killing-mom-asks-lower-bail-rcna62151

Charging a 10 year old as an adult is appalling. The kid needs psychiatric help, not jail. Articles haven't said, but it's a good guess that he's Black.

[SheilaAnn]

1. I don't think it's a black child n/tat all. How did you come to that decision? n/t

[Tanuki]

3. Photo of the victim and her mother at link

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.news24.com/amp/you/news/international/ten-year-old-boy-with-mental-health-issues-charged-as-an-adult-for-murdering-his-mom-20221209

[Jilly_in_VA]

7. Not only that

but it's well known that Black children are often perceived as older, and therefore treated more harshly by the legal system, than their white peers. Have you forgotten that Tamir Rice was 13?

[SheilaAnn]

16. Ahhh, my bad, did not check the link. Sorry. n/t

[COL Mustard]

2. A TEN year old charged as an adult????

JFC, what are we coming to? Just take him out into the public square and stone him. You sure this is Wisconsin and not Alabama?

[secondwind]

4. Looks like he has serious mental issues.....

[GopherGal]

5. Looks like Wisconsin's red takeover is complete...

They're total Sconnie-bama now.

[Polybius]

6. I don't know if he should be charged as an adult or not

But I'm not sure I want him to be a free man at 18. He seems dangerous.

[Sky Jewels]

14. He shouldn't be "charged" with anything.

This family has struggled with this child's severe mental illness for a long time. He needs long-term hospitalization in a psychiatric facility. He doesn't need to go into the criminal justice system.

[jimfields33]

13. I wish there was a middle ground.

No way should he be released at 18 which he would if changed as a juvenile. Maybe a 30 year sentence? He did commit murder afterall.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

8. If Matt Gaetz consensually got naked with this 10 yo kid, we'd want Gaetz put to death over it

Or, something close to that punishment.

We'd say "this is a tiny innocent baby child without the wherewithal to consent! OFF with Gaetz head!"

To be clear, this is NOT a premise I disagree with.

But conversely then a 10 year old does something horrible ... and society's legal system charges them as an ADULT, i.e. someone with their full faculties?

That is pretty much f***ing bullshit.

The dichotomy presented there is just a bit too much for me to accept.

Are they children who "know not what they do" ... or NOT?

I say they know not, and this child should absolutely NOT be charged as an adult. A 17 year old, maybe. But a TEN year old? That's garbage, man.

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. No mention of any adults being charged for allowing a 10 year old access to firearms. Nt

[sarisataka]

12. I think the responsible party

Is beyond the reach of our legal system.

[Mariana]

15. Dead people aren't normally charged with crimes.

[lostnfound]

10. Execute him ... in his sleep...? Well I sure agree he should not be tried as an adult

Screwed up society can’t do anything for even the simplest cases. This one is way too complicated.

I would almost prefer that he be put out of his misery than suffer through a life in the hands of the state or its prison system, with the theoretical best outcome is that he comes to realize the horrible reality of the fact that he killed his mother.

It would seem to be a mercy.

And the reply that observes that there was no mention of an adult being charged with allowing a child to have access to a gun? Actually it was apparently the mother’s gun. So..can’t charge her with it.

[COL Mustard]

11. From what I read at the link

He got her keys and was able to unlock the gun storage box. Sounds like she was trying to do the right thing.

And no, I'm no gun nut. I detest the NRA for what they've become.