A 10-year-old boy who allegedly shot his mother after she refused to buy him a virtual reality headset struggles with hearing voices inside his head, according to his grandma.
The unnamed boy, from Milwaukee, has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide after being accused of shooting and killing his 44-year-old mother, Quiana Mann.
The criminal report states that, when the child was first interviewed by police, he said he had been twirling his gun around his finger when it ‘accidentally went off’. He then woke up his 26-year-old sister, who called 911 after finding their mother dead.
However, his aunt told detectives that he later admitted to her how he was ‘actually aiming the gun at his mother’, apologising for killing Quiana.
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In a second police interview, the boy allegedly told investigators he had retrieved the gun from his mother’s bedroom because he was angry at her for waking him up early, and for not letting him buy a VR headset on Amazon.
The complaint adds that the boy’s sister said he has had ‘rage issues’ all his life, and ‘five different imaginary people that talk to him’.
His grandmother, Lueritha Mann, echoed this in an interview with The Daily Beast, explaining: “He’s always said that he hears voices.
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“There’s two little girls inside his head telling him to do things. And he has an imaginary friend that will tell him to do really bad things.”
The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, has had a long-running difficulty with sleeping.
“He said that his thoughts and everything starts generating at 5 or 6 in the morning,” Lueritha said.
“Sometimes four o’clock.”
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She said her grandson also struggled at school, where he was ‘bulled a lot’, and that two years ago, he suffered from concussion after falling off of a swing and hitting the back of his head.
“So that just meshed with the mental illness and it just kind of spiraled and made him worse,” she continued.
“It was bad. Sometimes he would have these episodes where he was just kind of mean to [his mother].”
The criminal complaint says a therapist previously gave the 10-year-old a ‘concerning diagnosis’, and that his mother had placed cameras inside the home to monitor his behaviour. However, two weeks before the killing, someone ‘unplugged these cameras’.
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After being charged with first-degree reckless homicide, the boy faces a maximum of 60 years in prison if convicted.
He will appear in court for a status hearing on 7 December.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Quiana’s funeral, with a family member saying in the description that the mother-of-four was ‘cherished and beloved by all who knew her'.
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“She worked in behavioral health services because she wanted to ensure that all individuals had equal access to health services,” the fundraiser says.
“She had a love for God that shined so brightly it superseded any pain she may have experienced. She was compassionate, loving, and kind. Whether you need a friend with a listening ear, advice on how to cook, or simply a few laughs, she would be just one call away.
“She gave so much to this world and will be sorely missed, in her honor and spirit of giving, we’re seeking help for her arrangements, so that we may prepare her final wishes.”
Jess Hardiman