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).
Authorities in Texas are considering whether to press charges against a 10-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a 13-year-old girl during a large brawl at a Houston apartment complex. The young boy claims 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.”
The victim, identified as Riley DeArmas, was reportedly stabbed once during a fight involving “about 20 to 30” individuals at the complex on Grow Lane. Houston police indicated that the altercation involved two groups, one of which included Riley, according to a press release from their department.
“Officers responded to a report of a stabbing and found a young female, Riley, suffering from a stab wound,” the release stated. “Paramedics from the Houston Fire Department transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.”
The 10-year-old boy was taken into custody for questioning but was later released as the investigation continues. Homicide detectives are in communication with the district attorney’s office to determine the next steps in the case, according to police spokesperson John Crowson.
“Considering the suspect is 10 years old, he meets the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Texas, which means charges could potentially be filed. However, the decision rests with the district attorney,” Crowson explained to reporters.
Riley’s family, speaking to KHOU, a local CBS affiliate, disputed the boy’s self-defense claim. Her mother insisted, “My daughter was attacked,” dismissing the notion of self-defense.
“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.”
