A 10-year-old boy was held without bail on Wednesday after being charged as an adult in the killing of a 90-year-old woman, according to The Associated Press.
Tristen Kurilla said he held her down with a walking stick and beat the elderly woman at her caretaker's Pennsylvania home, the AP reported. Kurilla, of Damascus Township, Pennsylvania, was arrested on Monday after his mother took him to the state police barracks in Honesdale.
Kurilla will remain in adult prison after his attorney Bernard Brown removed his bail plea due to his parents not being ready to take him into their custody, according to the AP. His mother told police the boy had a history of "mental difficulties."
Brown said the family is not comfortable having him placed in their care right now but did not give further details on the matter, the AP reported.
Kurilla's mental state may be considered if he later petitions the court to transfer his case from adult court to juvenile court, according to the district attorney, the AP reported.
The caretaker for Helen Novak was the boy's grandfather, according to the AP. The incident took place on Oct. 11 at his Tyler Hill home, according to court documents.
According to court papers, Kurilla, said he pinned Novak down on her bed with a walking stick on her throat and punched her "numerous times," after she yelled at him, according to court papers, the AP reported.
Kurilla has been charged as an adult because homicide is excluded from the offenses that juveniles can be charged with under Pennsylvania juvenile laws, said District Attorney Janine Edwards, according to the AP. He also was charged as an adult with aggravated assault.
Kurilla is among the youngest charged with homicide in Pennsylvania, the AP reported. The others include 11-year-olds and a 9-year-old, said Marsha Levick, chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, the AP reported.
