An 11-year-old boy arrested last week on suspicion of killing his 5-year-old brother at their Centennial home has been charged with murder in juvenile court, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The older brother faces one charge of first-degree murder, a felony, and an aggravated juvenile offender sentence enhancer, . Neither boy has been publicly identified, and authorities have not said how the killing unfolded.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday declined to release any information about the younger brother’s cause of death.
11-year-old Centennial boy arrested on suspicion of murder in death of 5-year-old brother
"Under Colorado law, court records for juvenile cases are not public, with limited exceptions -- such as when a juvenile is charged as an adult," district attorney spokesperson Eric Ross said in a March 11 email to The Denver Post. "In this particular case, however, the matter is being heard in Juvenile Court. As a result, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is legally prohibited from releasing information related to the case beyond confirming the official filing charge."
As of March 11, the 11-year-old was being held at the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center in Centennial, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the 5-year-old's death at the Centennial home in the 5200 block of South Jericho Way at about 5:30 p.m. March 10, sheriff's officials said. The sheriff's office announced both the death and murder investigation Wednesday afternoon.
Children as young as 10 can be criminally prosecuted in Colorado, but children younger than 12 cannot be charged as adults. Hundreds of Colorado children between the ages of 10 and 12 face criminal charges each year.
