9-year-old boy charged with murder

By Kendria Brown, NDG Intern

A nine-year-old boy has been charged as a juvenile in the case and murder of a 14-month-old boy. The nine-year-old boy, who is not identified because of his age, allegedly beat the toddler to death in August of this year.

The nine-year-old boy was charged as a juvenile in the first degree murder of the infant who suffered from a fatal beating in a St. Louis suburb. The 14-month-old boy of Cahokia, Illinois was left in the home unsupervised with four other children, with the oldest being 11.

The baby’s mother, Alisha Johnson, who is 22 is charged with five counts of child endangerment. Two other adults, 31-year-old Melissa Wilbourn and 42-year-old David Hollis are being charged in this case with similar charges.

The boy was placed in Illinois custody of the Department of Human Services and is ordered to go through psychiatric evaluation.

The boy’s defense attorney, Bill Walker, said the boy’s mother and grandmother died several years back; the other adults in his life have been detained on the child endangerment charges. Walker argues that the boy’s age is the issue, and not his mental state.