The 10-year-old boy accused of shooting his mother because she refused to buy him a $500 VR headset has asked for his bail to be reduced from $50,000 to $100.
Prosecutors said Quiana Mann, 44, was shot in the face by her son, who used her credit card to buy an Oculus VR headset, before telling his grandma he was “sorry” for killing his mother and asked where his package was.
The boy’s attorney, Angela Cunningham, argued in court Wednesday that his bail should be reduced to just $100, the amount he has in his piggy bank, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“We spoke to him about his ability to post anything,” Cunningham told the court. “He told us about piggy banks with savings he had from presents, from birthday presents. And rummages through pillows on the couch that he was able to save.”
Judge Jane Carroll denied the request and imposed a travel ban on the minor, effective if he manages to post bail.
Quiana Mann, 44, was allegedly shot in the face and killed by her 10-year-old son, who was mad at her for refusing to buy him a $500 VR headset
The boy wanted an Oculus virtual reality headset — which ranges from $130 to almost $500 on Amazon. He went into his mother’s account the day after the shooting and bought the headset, then reportedly told his grandmother without remorse that he was “sorry he killed my mother.”
The child, who family members say has “anger issues” and hears imaginary people, has been charged with first-degree reckless murder and will face trial as an adult.
Wisconsin state law requires children as young as 10 to be charged with serious crimes, such as murder, like adults. If convicted, he faces up to 60 years in prison.
The fact that the boy will be tried as an adult has caused some headaches for Carroll, as she noted that all the usual factors in deciding bail terms “don’t make much sense when applied to a 10-year-old.”
She pointed out that the boy had no home of his own, no job, no real assets, no ability to go to court alone, or a criminal record.
Because he will be charged as an adult, Carroll also denied prosecutors’ request that the boy be released into the care of a family member if he posts bail.
The judge sided with the defense attorney, noting that such a condition would not be necessary for an adult.
The boy is currently in juvenile detention.
After shooting her at the Milwaukee home (pictured), he put the gun in the closet and told his 26-year-old sister that her mother was dead. The child will be tried as an adult under state law and faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted
The boy initially told police the shooting was an accident. He claimed Mann ran in front of him while aiming at a wall to “scare her” and accidentally shot her in the head, according to criminal complaints in the Journal Sentinel.
However, he later said in a second interview that he deliberately aimed at his mother before shooting her dead at around 7 a.m. on November 21 at her home on 87th Street near Hemlock.
The boy is one of Mann’s four children: Brianna, TJ, Brandon and Noah. It is unclear which boy shot her.
After the shooting, he put the gun in the closet and told his older sister Brianna Moore, 26, that the mother, who worked in behavioral medicine, was dead, the complaint said. Moore then called 911.
The boy was allowed to stay with his family, and an initial police discharge said the shooting was caused by a child “playing” with a gun.
A day later, concerned relatives called the police.
The boy, whose name has not been released publicly, fatally shot his mother, Quiana Mann, 44, of Milwaukee (pictured), in the face around 7 a.m. on November 21 at their home on 87th Street near Hemlock, because she refused to buy him a VR headset
The boy’s aunt said when she picked the boy up, he retrieved a set of house keys, which included a key to the gun locker. When his aunt asked about the shooting, the boy said he pointed the gun at his mother and she told him to put it down.
The boy’s aunt and sister said he never cried or showed remorse and also physically assaulted his seven-year-old cousin on the same day.
The boy’s family said he had “worrying” mental health issues and had a history of troubling behavior.
When he was four years old, the boy reportedly swung the family puppies around by the tail, the complaint says. Six months ago, the family told police, the boy filled a balloon with a flammable liquid and set it on fire, causing an explosion that burned the furniture and carpet.
When asked why he did it, the boy said, “Two sisters told him to do it.”
The boy told his family he heard five imaginary people talking to him, who he said were two sisters, an old woman and two “mean” men.
Brianna also said in the complaint that her brother had “anger issues” his entire life and “gets very angry and acts out.”