Brother, 12, stabs younger sister to death

Leila Fowler, an 8-year-old girl, was stabbed to death by her brother in their home. The brother had blamed the murder on a mysterious intruder, which sparked a countywide manhunt. Read more on teaching your child basic self defense.

What can we learn from this story where a brother kills his own sister?

Brother kills and blames it on an intruder

Leila’s brother had allegedly lied to authorities that he found his sister’s body after being stabbed to death by a man who had broken into their home. He even described the intruder as a tall man with a muscular build, which sparked a 15-day manhunt that included going door-to-door and even involved divers searching in two reservoirs.

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An in depth investigation

As reported by the Associated Press, several knives were taken from the crime scene in the Fowler residence to see if any of them were used as the murder weapon.

As reported by LA Times, authorities in Calaveras County have not released any info about what led to the arrest of the 12-year-old boy. But he has been arrested for the brutal murder.

The 911 call released, watch the video below

Juvenile court

The boys name will not be revealed as he is still a minor, but he faces a second-degree murder charge.

The boy’s attorney Mark Reichel did not reveal any more details of the case but admitted that he and his partner “have the same questions as everyone” after reviewing evidence.

Reichel said: “This involves a 12-year-old who supposedly committed a crime that didn’t result in his immediate arrest. Instead, it took about two weeks and thousands of hours of investigation to make him the suspect who was charged.”

Innocent until proven guilty?

The boy was described by his attorney as a “shy, quiet and reserved boy”. The boy’s family is standing by him and his mother, Priscilla Rodriguez, told a TV station in Sacramento that her son is innocent on the day of the arrest: “They never even used to fight when they were little. I would never see him be mean to her.”

His father, Barney Fowler to the Associated Press: “Until they have the proper evidence to show it’s my son, we’re standing behind him. If they have the evidence, well, that’s another story. We’re an honest family.”

What can parents do?

What can we learn from this story where a brother kills his own sister? Nothing is predictable anymore. Is it safe anywhere? Marathon bombings, Mother’s Day Parade shooting and now even at home; a brother kills his own sister. What can we do as parents to ensure that our little angels are free from harm?

All you can really do is give your children a firm foundation, make them aware of dangers and give them self-defense skills so that when you’re not around (and you can’t be with them 24/7) they can fend for themselves.

We can’t live each day too fearful about the dangers in our world—fear is debilitating and too much paranoia could result in us not seizing the moment and living everyday to the fullest. Equip them and then pray for their safety.

Watch this video for basic kid’s self defense

It would be advisable to send your child to any form of martial arts classes to develop their skills in protecting themselves from danger.

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