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Inset: Riley DeArmas (KHOU/YouTube). Background: The Houston apartment complex where Riley DeArmas, 13, was stabbed to death by a 10-year-old boy (KTRK/YouTube).
In a tragic incident at a Houston apartment complex, Texas prosecutors are deliberating on whether to file charges against a 10-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a 13-year-old girl. This occurred amidst a chaotic brawl involving “about 20 to 30” individuals, as reported by local officials. The young boy has claimed he acted in self-defense.
“They”re claiming that the 13-year-old was among about 20 to 30 people that came over and started assaulting people in that apartment,” said Houston Police Lt. Larry Crowson during a press conference after Wednesday’s slaying. “And that he stabbed her in self-defense.”
Relatives and friends of the victim, Riley DeArmas, who suffered a single stab wound, assert that she was “attacked” by the boy during the confrontation at the Grow Lane complex. The altercation reportedly erupted between “two groups of individuals,” including Riley, according to a statement from Houston police.
The police statement details that officers received a call about the stabbing and found Riley with a stab wound upon arrival. She was swiftly taken to a local hospital by Houston Fire Department paramedics but sadly succumbed to her injuries.
The 10-year-old was taken into custody and questioned by authorities about the incident, as mentioned by police. He has since been released while the investigation continues, with homicide detectives consulting the district attorney’s office to decide on potential charges, shared police spokesperson Crowson.
“Given the boy’s age,” Crowson explained to reporters, “he meets the minimum age for criminal responsibility in Texas, which means charges could potentially be filed. The final decision rests with the district attorney.”
Riley’s family told local CBS affiliate KHOU that “there was no self-defense” involved in the stabbing, with her mother saying, “My daughter was attacked.”
“She was not a violent person,” the mom, Ashley DeArmas, insisted.
“She would never harm anyone intentionally. The narrative that’s going around right now about my daughter, that was not Riley,” Ashley DeArmas said. “She did not deserve it. She did not deserve to die.”
A spokesperson for the Harris County DA’s office told KHOU that “once HPD completes their investigation, the case will be presented … and we will make a decision at that time.”
Police officials say they are probing whether the fight at the Grow Lane apartment complex stemmed from an earlier dispute involving several teenagers at a local school. Crowson told reporters the incidents appear to be related, according to local ABC affiliate KTRK.
Riley’s mom says she was going to be turning 14 next month.
“Instead of me celebrating her 14th birthday, I’m celebrating [her] and trying to bury my daughter right now,” Ashley DeArmas told KHOU while at a balloon release on Saturday in honor of Riley. “These balloons could have been for her 14th birthday, not her death.”