10-year-old charged with murdering mother over Oculus video game asks for bail equal to piggy bank

MILWAUKEE — A judge denied a request by an attorney to lower the bond for a child accused of killing his mother to $100, citing the “nature, number and gravity” of the charges.

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The 10-year-old was arrested and charged in November, after he allegedly shot and killed his mother. Though the child initially told officers the shooting was an accident, investigators said he later admitted to intentionally pointing the gun at his mother and pulling the trigger.

In his first court appearance on Wednesday, the attorney representing the child asked the court to consider lowering his bond from $50,000 to $100, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

“He told us about piggy banks with savings he had from gifts, from birthday gifts, and scavenging through cushions through the couch that he’s been able to save up,” Angela Cunningham, the child’s attorney, said in court, WITI reported. Cunningham also cited the child’s lack of income as a reason for bond to be reduced in the case.

While Judge Jane Carroll acknowledged that many bail conditions in an adult court “don’t make a lot of sense when applied to a 10-year-old,” in her ruling, she said the allegations in the case are “significant” enough to keep bond at $50,000 and impose a travel restriction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

“The nature, number and gravity of the alleged offenses are significant,” Carroll said in her ruling, WITI reported. “This is an extremely aggravated offense … The facts of this case warrant significant cash bail.”

Days after the Nov. 21 shooting, investigators said the child admitted to shooting her because his mother woke him up early, and would not buy him the Oculus virtual reality headset he wanted. The child allegedly purchased the device using his mother’s Amazon account after the shooting.

The child, whose family has described him as having mental health issues, kept his head down during the hearing, The Associated Press reported. The judge ordered his image, address and identity should remain private.

The court noted that none of the child’s relatives are willing to serve as his legal guardian, should he be released, WITI reported. Carroll denied a request from the judge that would have allowed the boy to live with his father in Illinois, if released.

Wisconsin state law requires children as young as 10 to be tried as adults for certain crimes, including murder, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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