The state of Washington reeled in shock Friday as two fifth graders confessed to the murder plot of a girl classmate they thought was "really annoying," and planning to harm at least six other students, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The suspects, two boys, just 10 and 11-years-old, were found out and arrested Feb. 7 after a fourth-grader at Fort Colville Elementary School in Colville, Wash. reported to a teacher he'd seen an 11-year-old boy carrying a knife. When the teacher searched the boy's backpack, and a bag belonging to his 10-year-old friend, she found weapons including a knife with a 3¼-inch blade, and a .45-caliber Remington 1911 semiautomatic handgun with a full ammunition clip.
The boys were allegedly planning to lure a girl in their class they didn't like outside to kill her, even paying off another student with $80 to keep their mouth shut, the New York Daily News reported.
"My background is a high school counselor and psychologist, and quite frankly, in 30-plus years, I never heard of anything like this at this age level," Colville School Supt. Mike Cashion said.
The younger of the two boys had been in a "short-term dating relationship" with the girl he and his friend allegedly planned to murder because "she's rude and always made fun of me and my friends," according to court documents, KTVB reported.
"Yes, I just want her dead," he reportedly said.
The boys admitted to the murder plot when they were questioned separately shortly after they were discovered with the weapons, the Times reported.
"I was going to kill her with the knife and [the other boy] was supposed to use the gun to keep anyone from trying to stop me or mess up our plan," the 11-year-old boy explained to detectives, according to the Times.
The boys are now facing charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, tampering with a witness and conspiracy to possess a firearm, according to the Huffington Post.
As the Post notes, Washington state law says that children from 8 to 12-years-old are ""presumed not to have the mental capacity to form the intent to commit crime." However, prosecuting attorneys in the case are arguing the boys knew exactly what they were doing, and acted deliberately.
"This was a plan. And it was a plan to kill," said Stevens County prosecuting attorney Timothy Rasmussen Thursday, according to the Times.
The boys' hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
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