12-Year Old Boy Accused of Killing Infant

In a sad story out of Houston, Texas, a 12-year old boy is accused of killing a 10 month-old infant. The infant died after being thrown on the floor of a home where there were several unsupervised children, according to authorities.  The preteen suspect, whose name cannot be released due to his age, has been brought up on charges of capital murder by a juvenile. He was sent to juvenile detention by a judge on Wednesday.

Deandre Washington, the murdered child, was 10 months old. She was severely hurt March 12th and died a couple days later in the hospital, according to Estella Olguin, spokeswoman for Child Protective Services of the area.

The police and other authorities are still working to piece together the facts on the number of children left unsupervised when their mothers left them alone to go to work, in a section of southeast Houston.  They also want to determine whether the 12-year old suspect, also the oldest in the group of children, had been left in charge of the rest of the group.

"It's not clear whether the mothers told the 12-year-old, 'You are in charge,' and left with the intention of coming back. He would have been the oldest so more than likely you would think he would be in charge," spokesperson Olguin stated.

The 12-year old was absent from school that day due to being suspended for getting in a fight.  His mother, Tawanna Scott has nine other children, and the victim's mother has three other children. The mothers rushed back to the home after they received a phone call from the 12-year old saying that Deandre had ceased breathing and then called 911 after they arrived at the residence, said Olguin. She also said that the other children were witnesses to the child being thrown on the floor.

The 12-year-old's mother, Tawana Scott informed KHOU-TV Houston tv station that the authorities stated that her son confessed, but that he later denied that confession to her. She also upheld that the death was an unfortunate accident. Deandre sustained massive bleeding, multiple organ damage and and two skull fractures.

Child Protective Services so far have not siezed custody of either of the mother's children, since in the state of Texas it is currently legal to leave children under the direct supervision of a sitter 12 years and older.

The 12 year-old can be committed to prison for a 40 year max sentence, be committed to the Texas Youth Commission system or be put on probation, if found guilty, according to Bill Moore, the chief of the juvenile division for the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

You can be charged as an adult at age 14 in the state of Texas.  "We will get all the information we can on the facts of the case and at that point we will get together and decide if we should present it to a grand jury or go to juvenile court and we're not there yet," Moore stated.