A 12-year-old girl was charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors claimed she killed her 8-year-old cousin in the bunk bed they shared in Humboldt, Tennessee.
The victim’s mother, Ramaya Smith, told News 2’s sister station WREG that the incident began from a disagreement over an iPhone. Smith recalls her eight-year-old daughter being cheerful.
“When they told me about that, I should have just gone to get my kid,” Smith told the radio station WREG. “But they were having fun for the summer, and I didn’t think she would kill my baby.”
Demeria Hollingsworth, 8, and her cousin were staying with their grandmother in Humboldt for the summer.
“She liked to read books, go swimming, and play outside,” Smith stated. “Ride her bike every day, play with the local kids, and interact with the children of my friends. “My baby was sweet.”
According to District Attorney Frederick Agee, a home surveillance camera captured a child, identified as Hollingsworth’s cousin, smothering him with bedding. The video then showed the 12-year-old cleaning up and repositioning his body.
“I consider this to be one of the most disturbing violent acts committed by either an adult or a juvenile that my office has prosecuted,” Agee said in part.
It went on to add that they had petitioned the juvenile judge to try the suspect as an adult.
“Last time I have seen my baby, she was smiling, giving me kisses, telling me she will see me when it’s time for her to come back home,” Smith recalled. “She’ll never come back home. “She’ll never return home.”
The 12-year-old, who will turn 13 soon, has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Smith stated that she wanted the maximum sentence.