10-Year-Old Boy Confesses to Killing Former Louisiana Mayor and His Daughter Over Video Game Purchases: Report
According to police and local residents, a 10-year-old has reportedly confessed to killing a former Louisiana mayor and his adult daughter. The incident occurred on Sunday allegedly following a dispute over video game purchases charged to a credit card.
Minden Police Chief Jared McIver reported that the unidentified minor confessed to shooting Joe Cornelius, 82, and his daughter, Keisha Miles, 31, multiple times, according to KTBS.
He was apprehended on two counts of first-degree murder.
“We’ve got a confession. But in these cases when you’re in, it’s very delicate,” he said. “When you’re dealing with a child of this age, you know, in their stage, we’re looking at was there motive, what was the motive? What caused [it], what sparked it, you know, since the victims were shot.”
“It’s one of those things that we’ve still got a lot of unanswered questions,” he added.
According to McIver, the boy was a relative of Cornelius and Miles but did not specify what their relationship was.
Mclver said that the boy appeared scared but KSLA reported that he showed no signs of remorse.
A neighbor who spoke with the outlet stated that he heard at least eight gunshots around 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning after Cornelius and the young child had engaged in a loud argument.
“I think that’s what happened. He was arguing with him; I heard them hollering and stuff,” the anonymous neighbor said, adding that he believed that the boy suffered from autism.
“Joe got to arguing with him. The boy just pulled a gun out,”he continued. “I mean, Joe used to be a sheriff, so he has guns because he worked for the sheriff’s department and the boy knew where it was. It’s a sad thing.”
Law enforcement is still trying to confirm if the shooting occurred prior to the shooting and if the boy has been diagnosed with autism.
Cornelius had been appointed as Minden’s mayor in 2013 after the death of the previous mayor. Before taking over, he was a long term member on the city council.
“He was highly respected in the community,” the unidentified neighbor said. “He was with the sheriff’s department. He was mayor for a little bit. He used to work at the funeral home and stuff like that. He was a good man.”
Cornelius was actively involved in his community, working at a funeral home, leading youth programs, and helping to establish local black history events. He was well-known for his dedication to community activism.
Cornelius was also known around the neighborhood as the “ice cream man.” He would sell discounted ice cream to children whose families could not afford it.
I remember him coming through my neighborhood about seven years ago; the boys got ice cream, but I had limited money,” Patti Hadland Porter recalled. “They wanted stuff I couldn’t afford at the time. He said just pay what you can, but they can get anything they want. I was concerned that he would lose money on this. He told me: “It’s not about the money, I do this for the kids.”‘
According to the family’s GoFundMe page, Miles left behind behind three children.
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