Colorado community in shock as boy faces charges in killing of his 5-year-old brother

A Colorado community has been left in shock after an 11-year-old boy was accused of killing his 5-year-old brother.

Authorities were called to a home in Centennial, a city just outside of Denver, Tuesday night following the death of the little boy, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies are investigating the case as a homicide, and have identified the boy’s older brother as the suspect in his death.

Neither of the boys has been publicly named. The 11-year-old boy is in custody at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial and is expected to face charges of first-degree murder.

“Our hearts go out to the family of these two young boys and to everyone in our community who is grieving this loss,” Sheriff Tyler Brown said.

“We know tragedies like this impact not only the family, but also classmates, teachers, and neighbors throughout the community,” he added. “We appreciate the support and patience of the public as our investigators work to gather the facts and pursue justice in this case.”

There is no danger to the community, the sheriff’s office said.

The victim was a kindergarten student at Timberline Elementary School, according to the Denver Gazette.

The Arapahoe County Coroner said no information about the boy’s autopsy would be released “out of respect for the family,” a spokesperson told the newspaper.

Authorities’ investigation remains ongoing, but the sheriff’s department noted that the information released would be “limited” due to the victim and suspect being minors.

Legal experts who work with juvenile cases told the Gazette that it is rare for someone so young to face a first-degree murder charge.

“Anytime we’re hearing about a child who’s alleged to have caused great harm at such a young age, we just really have to look at our own 11-year-old, and remember what it was like when we were 11,” said Hannah Seigel Proff.

FOX31 legal analyst Christopher Decker told the outlet that he could not recall another case involving an 11-year-old potentially facing a first-degree murder charge.

“In a situation like this where we have an 11-year-old, the prosecution’s options to transfer the case to adult court are not there,” Decker said.

Colorado law states that children under 10 cannot be charged criminally. Prosecutors are also not allowed to transfer a juvenile case to adult court if the child is under 12.

The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office told the Gazette that formal charges for the 11-year-old would come next week.

“I don’t know whether an 11-year-old can understand what first-degree murder means,” Isabel Briet, an associate attorney for Recht Kornfeld, P.C., said. “Is the legal definition of first-degree murder in an 11-year-old’s vocabulary, much less something they can understand?”

If convicted, the 11-year-old would face a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven years in detention at the Colorado Division of Youth Services, according to the report.