Four fifth-graders at Legacy Traditional School in Surprise, Arizona, were arrested last fall after police say they plotted to kill a classmate and make it look like suicide, according to a recently released report. The plan reportedly involved luring the boy to a bathroom, stabbing him, and forging a suicide note. The plot came to light after a student overheard the group discussing it and told a parent, who alerted the school on October 1, per NBC News. People reports all four students are girls.
Police say one girl in the group, who was allegedly in a relationship with the intended victim, wanted him dead after he cheated on her. During lunch, the group allegedly discussed how to "end him," with details including the use of gloves to avoid fingerprints. Interviews with the students revealed varying degrees of involvement: One said she joked about the plot but distanced herself as others became serious; another joined in to avoid being left out, not believing it would actually happen; and a third felt uncomfortable but didn't realize the plan was serious until she was assigned a role as a guard.
The students, ranging in age from 10 to 11, were arrested on counts of threatening and disorderly conduct, then released to their parents and suspended pending expulsion. Three expressed remorse, while one reportedly didn't take the matter seriously. A licensed clinical therapist tells AZFamily.com that kids could have trouble realizing just how serious something like this is.
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"Their brains are underdeveloped at 10, 11 years old," says Travis Webb. "The female brain isn't even quite half-developed, the part of the brain that regulates emotion—[the part] that kind of talks sense into this." The victim's parent told police she wanted to press charges. The school released a statement emphasizing student safety but cited privacy laws in declining further comment. The families of the accused students didn't immediately respond to media inquiries.
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