E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSLAKESIDE, Calif. -- A 10-year-old East County boy accused of stabbing a 12-year-old boy to death is facing murder and felony assault charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
A hearing is scheduled in juvenile court on Thursday at 8 a.m.
Candles, flowers and a teddy bear sat outside the home of the 12-year-old Lakeside victim who was fatally stabbed Monday while visiting a friend.
See video, read the original report at NBCSanDiego.com
While family and friends grapple with the loss of Ryan Carter, prosecutors moved ahead with their case.
“The district attorney’s office has charged a juvenile with murder and felony assault in connection with the crime,” prosecutors announced Wednesday afternoon.
Ryan's father, Glen, said the 10-year-old detained after the stabbing was his son’s best friend. He told us it was his understanding that Ryan was breaking up a fight when the stabbing occurred.
“There’s a giant hole where my heart’s supposed to be,” Glen Carter told NBCSanDiego.
San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies found Carter with a stab wound to the chest around 1:30 p.m. Monday on Royal Road in Lakeside.
On Wednesday, Glen Carter spoke about the boy, who was a straight-A student at Foothills Christian School.
“He was the best son in the whole world, a good Christian who always stuck up for the little guy,” he said.
After the slaying, investigators questioned witnesses, including the 10-year-old and his mother, who was home at the time of the stabbing. They also talked with family members of the victim to try to piece together what may have happened.
Neighbors said it all started when the boys were playing a game with toy swords.
Bruce Wheedon said that, because of what he witnessed just after the incident, he doesn't think the 10-year-old boy meant to stab Ryan.
"He looked a little shocked, but kind of like he didn't know what was going on, either," Wheedon said. "Just kind of a blank look and then he just started screaming when they cuffed him up."
Carter, who lived nearby in the Knolls mobile home park, was playing with his friend on a day when both were out of school for the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Carter's parents said the 10-year old accused of the stabbing is "not some monster."
Lisa Carter told the paper the boy was known for having anger issues and said, “Please don’t make it out that he was this terrible human being."
Glen Carter told NBCSanDiego, "At some point we will talk to his mother.”
Right now the family is leaning on their faith to help cope with their loss.
“We feel very blessed that God gave him to us for 12 years,” Ryan's father said. “Without strong faith, I don’t know how someone would get through this.”
Homicide investigators have recovered the knife used in the killing but refused to release details on what type of knife it was or where it was located before the stabbing.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
- Serial sperm donor reveals he's a virgin
- Homeless numbers down, but risks rise
- What kids hear at school: 'You're so gay!'
- Unaccustomed to heavy snow, Northwest is pounded
- Jogger: Dogs 'gnawing at my body like I was hamburger'
Leave a Comment:
The 10 year old's parents must be so proud.
Mr. And Mrs. Carter, I am sorry for your loss.
I want to say I very much admire the way you are handling this tragedy. Many parents would have succumbed to anger and desire for vengeance in their grief.
God bless you.
well said, Whosaid. Well said.
Very well said, Whosaid.
Agreed. Glen and Lisa Carter have a grace few people can ever attain in their lifetimes. God be with them through this, they have my deepest sympathy.
This is such a horrible tragedy. My heart definitely goes out to all involved. I would love to hear a debate about how to handle the situation for this 10 year old between some mental health professionals. Because this should definitely not be taken lightly and the final decision on how they handle this will make or break this child.
This is a terrible tragedy for both families and my heart and condolences goes out to them, from what I read we are not dealing with bad families or bad kids. Unfortunately the problem with mental illness is that it doesn't show up as a big spot on your head. Because you just can't see it for what it is you get all this prejudice, ignorance and misunderstanding about it. The sad thing is that probably in most cases it is very manageable with a little assistance. Unfortunately at this period in time we as a people and a country would rather build greedy empires rather then a nation by the people for the people. You will have these problems because our nation supports serving a select few making a lot of money not healing the sick. We do need extensive studies and medical help, unfortunately the government would rather spend our children's future on foreign wars, foreign aid and tax breaks for the wealthiest, many who are making fortunes on these wars and imperialist business practices. Mean while not only are our men and women of our armed forces sacrificing their lives, many are coming home with devastating physical and mental injuries that will require a lifetime of care that no one will want to pay for. Greed is taking the American dream and killing it, this is just the beginning I fear the worst is yet to come.
Surely this child has some profound mental issues, but the culture of violence that we sow in this country sure does not help. We keep feeding the crazy wolf and people keep getting crazier, the main stream media likes to feast on insanity. We don't do articles about good parenting that's too boring, find the freakiest thing you can find and splatter it all over the news. That's why I stopped watching True TV I'm tired of watching how stupid and crazy people are, I try now to find more positive stories. Slasher films, murders, mayhem we have become a society that loves violence, why does this surprise anybody when children commit heinous acts of violence and even sometimes kill ?. . When I was a child the majority of children had two parents, we had censorship on TV and the movies and we didn't have this culture of violence that kids are growing up with today. We had shows Like Father Knows Best, Leave It To Beaver, My Three Sons, The Donna Reed Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show and of course I love Lucy. Horror films were Frankenstein, The Wolfman, Dracula and the Invisible man not slasher films filed with unspeakable gore and violence. We didn't have reality TV or Real TV focusing on every depravity the human mind can dream up. Children were allowed to be children and not pushed to be sex pots like you have with Toddlers and Tiaras. We didn't social networks or You Tube and the media didn't glorify violence like it does today in the name of freedom of speech. Back then we realized that freedom did not mean irresponsible and we had the freedom to believe in God, justice, right and wrong.
There were still many things wrong in the country but we were working to fix them and build a nation under God, indivisible with Liberty and justice for all. Unfortunately we have lost our way, we now have become a divided nation, it is no longer we the people but me the people. We now rather build greedy empires then a land of opportunity. Our leaders have sold out our nation and sold out their souls for their own self gain and the greed of a few. We are feeding our children selfishness, greed and violence then act so shocked when they fulfill the legacy we have given them. Are we really that stupid as a people or are we just that much into denial of what we have sowed?.
Huh? Since when does this have anything to do with the Pledge of Allegiance (btw: God's not in the original).
I was actually rather with you until you tossed that in.
It represented a time when the nation aspired to be more then a bunch of greedy animals.
right on Mark.
Yes. We had The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza also. The lesson at the end of each show...sometimes Lucasboy, when you can't agree, you have to shoot them.
Mark you are so right!!!! I feel so sorry for the parents but your right about this society
with no regards for life anymore! sorry but the liberals with their agenda and no morals
have taken this country down the wrong path! God Bless that poor boy and his parents!
I don’t blame one party I blame both, unfortunately this country has become the best money can buy.
I have a 10 year old brother, who can get a little wild sometimes, but knows full well not to touch sharp knives, let alone play with them even if he is sword fighting with someone!! Sad thing is, this kid will get out of juvie when he's 18 or 21 and probably just do it again.
My condolences to the victim's family.
They need to put this kid to sleep.
i wonder the think thing about so called normal people. Thing is, you were not there. you know nothing of these kid's ot the families. So where do you and your ilk ,come off saying who needs to have what done? good thing we have laws to protect people like us, from people like you.
dont get me wrong, but why would you condem someone when you know nothing about the person or situation?
delete
Did you even read the article? Even the victims parents are not speaking as you do, and surely they have far more at stake. Grow up.
Tiredofsilly: Disgusting
Sad.
My condolences and prayers for both families. May the Holy Spirit pour out blessings of love, comfort and forgiveness upon everyone who's been touched by this tragedy. Especially for the accused because he, too, is in most need of God's mercy.
Peace.
Is he being tried as an adult? I don't see how he could be, the article simply implies it.
Generally, any individual age 18 or older is considered an adult and treated as such in California. Depending on the circumstances, however, someone as young as 14 can be tried in the adult court system and sentenced to the California Department of Corrections (CDC) and housed in the California Youth Authority (CYA); and if 16 years old can be sent to prison. On the other hand, someone as old as 24 can be incarcerated as a juvenile in the CYA.
http://www.lao.ca.gov/1995/050195_juv_crime/kkpart1.aspx
A juvenile has to be certified to stand trial as an adult, so we wouldn't know that yet.However if it's correct that in the State of California someone as young as 14 can be tried in the adult court system, then it's doubtful that a 10 year old would be.
IMHO they should charge whatever adult taught this 10 year old that a lethal weapon was a toy, and then let him "play" with it unsupervised.
i dont women should compliment on children that have never had one, nor should men. you are also letting your blonde show with your coment. you dont have to teach a kid to swordfight, much less with a knife. just wondering if your next plan to solve the problem is to ban all knives from the kitchen? or is there some other diaobolical plan in store being kept a secret? kids are kids, they make stupid mistakes, some times too stupid.
the parents of the child who was killed obviouslt hold little to no real contempt for the boy or his family, so where is your basis on beliving this kid needs to be put to death?
The boy needs to be held accountable for his actions, but he should not be treated like a crimanal. sorry i cant spell. He is still just a little boy that needs to be taught right from wrong. Ten years old i would think is still not accountable in gods eyes. Hold the parent responcable
hold the kid accountable but punish the parents? are you an idiot or do you just not read your comment before you post?
Really glad I don't have to figure out what to do with this 10 y/o kid. I'm sure Media and Games figured into this tragic death somehow.
I smell death penalty .............
oldwolf perhaps you should crawl out of the sewer and READ a few of the above comments, like one must be 14 to be considered an adult and death penalty is an adult punishment.
It was an accident I am sure. I smell this boy being found innocent for his crime, and maybe sentenced for involuntary manslaughter, I am sure he will only get 7 years max. Don't believe all of this media coverage, they just hype it up. Don't get all excited, it's 90 percent BULL.
Yea, the 10 year old will end up in a Juvenile facility where he will really learn how to kill, steal and a bunch of other wonderful things. This country is so messed up.
usually he's only going to get 7 yrs anyway. that's what happens to juvies. depending on the crime and state they are release between the age of 18-21 yrs old.
It looks like a horrible accident. However, I do not think that putting a 10-year- old boy to prison will solve anything. It will only create one more victim at the end. What he needs is psych help.
Does the word child mean anything to anyone
yes, it means "death penalty" is out of the question. He'll get sent to rehab to help control and medicate his anger issues until the state can release him when he's old enough. Maximum 11 yrs in prison, minimum 7. after that nobody will every know this happened because it won't stay on his record so not pattern of behavior can be established if this happens again.
The word "murderer" brings a stronger response...
I can't imagine I could be as forgiving as this victim's parents. If this little kid has done this at ten, what is the world in store for when he becomes a pyschopathic teen and adult? It'd be hard not to deal with the kid myself and get sent to jail or hire someone to wipe the kid from the face of the earth. Unforgiving and not-in-the-least-Christ-like, I know, but this is ridiculous.
I read in another article that the boy was born to a mother who used alcohol and/or drugs during her pregnancy. The boy was given up for adoption. He was then adopted by this woman.
The use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and drugs like meth, coke, & heroin are known to cause developmental & behavioral disorders. This poor kid didn't stand a chance from the time he was conceived. Too bad his biological mother couldn't be charged as an accessory.
"Bruce Wheedon said that, because of what he witnessed just after the incident, he doesn't think the 10-year-old boy meant to stab Ryan.
"He looked a little shocked, but kind of like he didn't know what was going on, either," Wheedon said. "Just kind of a blank look and then he just started screaming when they cuffed him up.""
...Did anyone else read this part or was it just me? Yes, the kid should have known about knives, but he might not have realised what it was going to do. He could have been trying to just frighten the other kid or he might not have.
Thing is we don't know what was going through the kids mind, how it happened, or even if the kid would have become a psychopath. Heck, we don't even know if the kid had a mental problem that could have made understanding what a knife would do difficult!
Without enough information can we honestly say "Put this kid down!" or "This kid would become a psychopath". We don't know that he'll come out and do it again, or if it's something that will hang over him for the rest of his life.
It's possibly the kid just did a stupid thing. Adults do stupid things all the time -- hunters shooting their friends, for example.
I once did an incredibly stupid and dangerous thing, never meaning or expecting any harm. Fortunately, no harm came of it, but it was just dumb luck or an angel on my shoulder. I like to think I'm no fool, but that day I did something absolutely stupid, and I was an adult at the time. To this day I thank God it didn't result in tragedy.
It seems sad to me that while the family of the victim can somehow manage to take the high road, so many strangers posting here are lusting for vengeance against a 10 year old child, without even knowing the facts.
"He looked a little shocked, but kind of like he didn't know what was going on, either".
Yes, i'm sure that was true. That is usually the case with people that go into a blind rage. This boy needs help controling that and i'm sure he will get it in prison. Maybe when he is released he will not go out and kill his girlfriend for breaking up with him, beat his kids to death because they spilled a drink or start killing random people on the streets for the hardships in his life and the inability to achieve marriage and kids. Time will tell if rehabilitation really works or corporal punishment gets better results.
Reply: DebS-3823062
Please indicate your reference that supports that marijuana contributes to developmental & behavioral disorders. Obviously you are just another lemming following the ideas portrayed by the movie "Reefer Madness" you poor misinformed schmuck.
He has anger issues and killed someone, but he's "not a monster"? You don't accidentally grab a knife. You don't accidentally have a fight. Children that age know it's wrong to fight, kill, hurt others.
If it had killed my son IT would be dead already...
This child's actions are a reflection of our society
Actually now that I think of it, he might have done it on purpose, you have to stab someone pretty good to kill them, accidently stabbed to death? Hmmmmm...... a 10 year old would have to use quite a bit of force to thrust a knife into someone else. I don't know, that's what our corrupt judicial system is for.
They won't do a damn thing for him except place him with other juveniles, some older than himself, who will indoctrinate him into the criminal world and teach him how to despise law and order, think only of himself, and how nothing matters except what he wants and how to get it right now, today, the hell with tomorrow because tomorrow NEVER comes.
There will be visitation rules and if he breaks rules he doesn't understand or can't quite grasp his punishment will be a suspension of of contact with his family, which will further alienate him from the reality of life with a family unit, making him feel isolated and apart from the society he will be expected to blend into when he is finally released.
Placing a juvenile into "the system" under the penal codes and the rules of punishment for any infraction which translates into depriving them of family contact guarantees nothing but a sociopath released upon the public at a later date. They need constant family reinforcement, not less, when they are incarcerated.
Why are they pursuing murder 1? The vicim was attempting to break up a fight, and was stabbed in the fight, most likely by accident. I don't see the premeditation that is required for murder 1... at most possibly murder 2? Something just seems off about saying that a 10 year old child can plot the death of his 'best friend', and carry it out and then putting him away until he is an adult. What kind of future are you setting him up for? He needs counseling and help with his apparent anger issues, not to be trained how to be a better criminal in juvenile detention centers.