A 12-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree murder after a home surveillance video reportedly showed her suffocating her 8-year-old cousin in a bunk bed they shared at their grandmother’s Tennessee home, according to the police.
Demeria Hollingsworth was staying with her older cousin for the summer at their grandma’s house in Humbodlt, a western town, as mentioned by the deceased girl’s mother.
The mother, Rayana Smith, expressed her heartbreak to WREG-TV, saying, “Last time I saw my baby, she was smiling, giving me kisses, telling me she will see me when it’s time for her to come back home.” She added, “She’s never coming back home.” A GoFundMe page has been set up by the mom to assist with funeral costs.
On the fundraising site, she wrote, “I just lost my baby, the most beautiful child of God. The pain I’m feeling is unbearable. I have to now live life without her in this crazy world.” The mother revealed that she was informed that the cousins had been arguing about an iPhone recently.
Smith shared, “When they told me about that, I should have just gone to get my kid. But they were having fun for the summer and I didn’t think she would kill my baby.” Prosecutor Frederick Agee mentioned that he is seeking to have the child tried as an adult in juvenile court, calling the case disturbingly violent.
According to authorities, the surveillance video shows the 12-year-old smothering her cousin with bedclothes, then cleaning up the scene and moving the little cousin’s body. Agee stated on social media, “I consider this to be one of the most disturbing, violent acts committed by either an adult or juvenile that my office has prosecuted.”
The girl, who will turn 13 next week, faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence, the prosecutor stated. Due to her age, she has not been publicly identified.
