12 Year Old Arrested For Stab Murder Of His Sister Leila Fowler; Brother Charged After Lying About Intruder Causing Manhunt In California[VIDEO]
A 12-year-old boy in Valley Springs, California has been arrested for the murder of his sister, Leila Fowler. Back on April 27th, the boy called the police after he claimed he found his sister in their home with multiple stab wounds. The entire community was shaken while a manhunt for Leila's killer was at large.
Leila's arrested brother had once described the "intruder" as a six-foot white or Latino man with long gray hair, wearing blue pants and a black long-sleeve shirt at the time the stabbing occurred. Now police are saying the 12 year old boy is a liar and responsible for the death of his sister.
Police released no information about what led them to arrest the unidentified 12-year-old for the April 27 attack. Following the crime, investigators did a door-to-door sweep of homes, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across the oak-studded hills foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues. It seems all of their efforts were worthless; the killer was right under their nose.
The mother described her son as "protective" of his younger sibling and her son "could never hurt his sister."
"I've never seen him be mean to her," said biological mother Priscilla Rodriquez.
Less than a day later, police delivered the stunning news: The 12-year-old boy had been arrested and will be charged with homicide.
For a community still shaken from the killing, the news was another shock.
"It's bad enough to lose a child. I can't imagine losing a child by one of my own children," Patti Campbell, a longtime area resident and owner of Campbell's Country Kitchen, told The Associated Press.
Campbell, a resident of the area for 33 years and the operator of the Valley Springs restaurant for 15 of them, said she had served Leila and her family in her restaurant.
"It's just shocking. I don't know what else to say," Campbell said.
Other residents expressed similar feelings of disbelief.
"I did not want to believe it. You kind of thought so, but it's not something you want to believe," resident Tammy Ainsworth told Sacramento's KCRA-TV.
Calaveras Unified School District Superintendent Mark Campbell said counselors will be available Monday at all schools.
The district "stands ready to provide whatever level of support and assistance is necessary to the Fowler family and the community at large, he said Sunday.