NEW YORK (AP) – A 9-year-old girl was arraigned on manslaughter and other charges on Thursday in the fatal steak knife stabbing of another child in Brooklyn.
During a 10-minute hearing in family court, defense attorney Nicole Barnum told Judge Jane Pearl that her young client denied charges of manslaughter, assault and weapons possession. The judge ordered the girl detained at a juvenile facility until a hearing on June 17.
The girl, her hair in braids, never spoke beyond stating her name and age. The judge ended the hearing by learning forward in her chair and telling the girl, “Take care of yourself.”
The girl and her mother, who had sat next to each other and held hands during the hearing, embraced and quietly wept before the girl was led out of the courtroom.
The 9-year-old was arrested on Memorial Day after she allegedly stabbed her friend Queen Washington, 11, in the chest during a fight over a rubber ball at a holiday gathering. Police said she confessed during questioning by detectives.
On Thursday, city lawyer Suzette Rivera sought a court order for a psychiatric evaluation of the girl. But the judge denied the request after Barnum said her client had already been examined and was “not a risk to herself at this time.”
If convicted, the girl could receive a maximum 18-month sentence.
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