Fifth-Graders Murder Trial, Will Stand as Juveniles, Despite Their Age

Two fifth-graders will face trial for conspiring to commit murder in Washington as juveniles, during an arraignment hearing on Friday.

Two boys, ages 10 and 11, are accused of planning to rape and kill a girl, and kill or harm six other classmates if they got in the way at Fort Colville Elementary School in Washington, about 215 miles east of Seattle.

Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen confirmed the boys pleaded not guilty to charges at an arraignment on Friday.

The incident began on the morning of February 7, as the boys reportedly concealed a knife with a 3¼-inch blade, a .45-caliber Remington 1911 semiautomatic handgun and additional ammunition clip were found in a backpack shortly before 8 a.m. after another fourth-grader student told a teacher about having seen a fifth-grader with a knife.

Authorities have claimed that one of the boys had said he wanted to kill one girl because "she's rude and always made fun of me and my friends."

The prosecutor has said, "There are very few prosecutions of a crime of this magnitude with boys of this age," according to Reuters.

Stevens County Superior Court Judge Allen Neilson determined during the hearing that the boys had the capacity to understand right and wrong and that they can stand trial despite their age, as in Washington State law children between 8 and 12 are considered not to have the mental capacity to commit a criminal act.

The 10-year-old suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, juvenile firearm possession and witness tampering.

Meanwhile, the 11-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, possession of a dangerous weapon at school, and tampering with a witness.

If the two boys are found guilty of all charges, they could be facing sentences from "103 to 127 weeks" which are about to two to three years. They remain in custody, each with a bond of $100,000. The trial is expected to begin late April.