Last month 8 year-old Leila Fowler was stabbed to death and at 5:10 p.m. on Saturday the police made an arrest which shocked the small town of Valley Springs, southeast of Sacramento, population approximately 7,400.
Her 12 year-old brother was arrested for her death and faces homicide charges.
Police released no information about what led them to arrest the boy. Leila's brother told police he found his sister's body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as tall with long gray hair. A neighbor told detectives she saw a man flee the home, but she later recanted the story.
Police said there was no sign of a burglary or robbery. As part of the investigation, authorities seized several knives from the Fowler home, where Leila lived with her father, stepmother and siblings.
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Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters at a news conference that the boy was taken into custody Saturday afternoon and will be charged with homicide, Fox40.com reported.
Via Calaveras County Sheriff's Office website:
(Valley Springs, CA) On May 11, 2013 after an extensive fifteen day investigation into the murder of 8 year old Leila Fowler, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Leila’s 12 year old brother on the charge of homicide.
The brother was arrested at 5:10 p.m. at the Sheriff’s Office’s Valley Springs Substation. This is an ongoing investigation. Further details will be released when appropriate through a press release on the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office’s website.
Those poor parents must be devastated to not only have lost their daughter in such a violent manner but to have to accept their older son was the person that murdered her.
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