A teenager is accused of killing a 15-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother at their home in a suburb of Baltimore County, Maryland, on July 7.
Keith Maurice James Jr., 16, faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm during a violent crime for the killings of Steve F. Allen, 9, and his sister Giovanna J. Myrie, 15.
The children were found lifeless by their mother, who immediately called for help, reports ABC News.
The 16-year-old was seen with a gun inside the home where the children were killed in the days before the killings.
“When you consider the horror of this crime, it is terrible. When you think that a child who had just turned 16 committed this crime and in this manner, it’s disturbing,” Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said at a news conference.
A friend of Giovanna Myrie claimed the victim had video chats with a boy named “Keith” a few weeks before the shooting.
He also went to Myrie’s house on July 4, where he was seen in his bed with a pistol in his hand, according to the indictment. “Keith” allegedly threatened to kill Myrie if she “dated” other boys, according to a text message sent to his friend.
“We need to make sure we know who our children are with. The last problem is that of violence in romantic relationships, and in particular violence among adolescents between people in a relationship. We must be vigilant against these phenomena,” added Agent McCullough.
The accused was located near the house at the time of the murders, according to the phone’s geolocation data.
He is being held without bail at this time.
