Girl, 5, to investigators: I drowned tot 'because he would not stop crying'

Girl, 5, to investigators: I drowned tot 'because he would not stop crying'

Kansas City police originally ruled the death accidental but child later told social workers she had held relative under water

msnbc.com news services

updated 2 hours 22 minutes ago

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — A 5-year-old girl could face murder charges after a toddler was drowned in a bathtub, police said.

Kansas City police are waiting for a medical examiner's report on how 18-month-old Jermane Johnson Jr., died, but have investigated the death as a homicide, spokesman Darin Snapp said Thursday.

"I've been in law enforcement for 20 years and it's the youngest suspect I can remember," Snapp said. "It's extremely rare."

Johnson was in a Kansas City house on June 3 with other children, but the 16-year-old girl who was supposed to be looking after them fell asleep, Snapp said.

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Wow.

Would a five year old realize the concept of murder, death or dying to the extent of being charged?

I realize that this is a horrible, horrible thing, I'm just wondering, with all the violent video games, etc. where people are killed, then with a re-set button they come back and all is well.

Regardless, this is something that has to be stopped and if she's done it once...

Is it getting to be such an unremorseful and callous world?

YIKES!

My god, that's horrible. What would possess a 5 year old to hold a baby under water?

Could this baby sitter not be held accountable? You don't take a nap when there is a toddler in the bath and a 5 year old is there. Hell, you don't take a nap at all when you are responsible for small children.

What kind of drugs was she on that she didn't hear that baby crying? He must have been crying for quite some time for it to bother a 5 year old.

P.S. Just re-read the article again, and she had not put the baby in the bath, the 5 y/o did, but she still should not have been napping with small children in her care. The mom should have taken the baby with her to go pick up the baby's father.

This makes me wonder.....if the baby was crying so much and so long, that it bothered the 5 year old to this point, why didn't the 16 year old babysitter also hear the crying?