Current Events > Group of 5th grade girls arrested over murder plot

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAM5tKSf9N4

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) A newly released police report reveals disturbing details in a murder plot involving 5th-grade students in Surprise.

A group of 10 and 11-year-old girls is accused of devising a plan to kill a boy at school. Documents said the friends devised the plan during lunch and recess on Oct. 1, 2024.

Just end him was the goal, according to the police report, which said the motive may be about a recent break-up and cheating allegations.

According to the police report, four 5th-grade students at Legacy Traditional Schools West Surprise campus planned to lure a classmate to the charter schools outside bathroom and stab him in the stomach.

Each girl had a role to play to get away with it. One would bring the knife, another would forge a suicide note to make it seem like he took his own life, and someone would act as a lookout while the other carried out the stabbing.

To avoid fingerprints on the murder weapon, they would wear gloves.

Legacy administrators worked with the school resource officer to investigate when students who overheard the murder plot came forward.

The next day, their backpacks were searched, and the suspects were questioned individually with their parents present.

All four children were arrested on charges of threatening and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

The police report said three students showed remorse, but the fourth would smile and laugh while making excuses for their actions.

Travis Webb, a Licensed Clinical Therapist, said a few factors could give children trouble realizing how serious their actions can be.

Their brains are underdeveloped at 10, 11 years old. The female brain isnt even quite half developed the part of the brain that regulates emotion. That kind of talks sense into this. Its early 20s, before the female brain is finished developing, said Webb.

On top of that, Webb explained kids are exposed to more violence at a young age than years before because of social media.

2025 is different than 1995. Its different than 1975, said Webb. They dont really come up with this on their own. They dont think violently. They certainly dont think about gloves and fingerprints and suicide notes.

He said parents should not give kids unrestricted access to the internet and assume theyll be okay.

You have to be a little more aware and a little more vigilant in talking to your kids about what theyre seeing on the Internet and really helping them, said Webb.

He suggests parents approach their kids and ask if theyve had thoughts of hurting themselves or others. He said not to make a child feel as if theyll get into trouble if they say yes.

Instead, he said to really listen to them. If they do have harmful thoughts, he recommends seeking professional help.

When asked for an update on the case, Surprise PD said the department has not shared and does not plan to share any further details about this incident.

The school also did not respond to requests for an interview, but the police report said the suspects were released to their parents and were suspended pending expulsion at the time of the arrests.

Arizonas Family contacted family members of all four suspects. They declined to comment.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/surprise-police-report-reveals-disturbing-details-in-murder-plot-involving-5th-graders/ar-AA1HmgHi

In 5th grade I was class clowning it and chugging pancake syrup for clout

What the actual fuck even is this news story, gosh

gotta moderate what your kids watch and have access to

Really detailed plan for 5th graders. How the hell they even consider fingerprints?

texanfan27 posted...

Really detailed plan for 5th graders. How the hell they even consider fingerprints?

I legitimately would not be shocked if one of them went online and asked ChatGPT how to hide a murder or something like that.

I feel like the charges are too light.

I went to a fairly rough school at that age. Transferred in my 5th grade year. It was super tough and even there I dont think anyone was capable of murder. Everything was fist fights and about punching someone and just trying to knock them out.

Like I remember a guy was murdered in this rough neighborhood directly across the street from the field we played in at school and we were all kind of taken back by that. This is straight diabolical and the fact it is multiple girls and not just 1 head case is crazy. An entire group of little sociopaths.

There is no one more pathologically cruel than a middle school girl.

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I feel like the charges are too light.

They might be limited on what charges they can bring against juveniles.

texanfan27 posted...

Really detailed plan for 5th graders. How the hell they even consider fingerprints?

CSI. Dexter.

Id have expected 6th or middle school in general since that's when kids are the most evil

This kind of story couldn't have happened in a town/city more aptly named than "Surprise". This is how I learn that Surprise, Arizona exists.

Also, as for cheating allegations at that age, while not impossible, it's improbable that these "cheating allegations" were anything more than kissing or handholding. Sure, there are extreme cases where kids that young are sexually active, however let's not pretend that's the norm.

There are probably countless examples of fingerprints in a criminal context throughout media, even in children's media so it's not really surprising that would consider wearing gloves in their pre-mediated murder plot.

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I feel like the charges are too light.

When it comes to worthless little shits the charges are always to light

What is it about 5th-6th graders that makes them nearly devoid of empathy and rotten?

KFHEWUI posted...

The police report said three students showed remorse, but the fourth would smile and laugh while making excuses for their actions.

Man what the fuck

As somebody who teaches this age range, this does not surprise me at all, sadly.

wanderingshade posted...

What is it about 5th-6th graders that makes them nearly devoid of empathy and rotten?

Hormones just starting to ramp up for the first time, and as mentioned in the article, regions of the brain devoted to things like emotional regulation aren't fully developed yet. So everything feels super intense, and there's a lot of new stuff happening all at once.

My niece is just going into middle school. I love her to death, but my god...I don't know how my brother does it. There is no way I could be around that every single day. I would snap.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/6e50bf4a.jpg

Glob posted...

As somebody who teaches this age range, this does not surprise me at all, sadly.

Are there stories of Vietnamese children criminally wilding as they do in the U.S.?

While this is pretty fucked even for children, they are still just children and their motivations could have been really anything. The charges seemed fair and honestly I hope they all get the help they need to understand how fucked it is.

Detailed plan for kids that age but they wouldve been easily caught if they were successful

good thing they got caught, Im not surprised they went easy on them though, adults dont like to think about the fact that there maybe a possibility their children are mental unstable or sociopaths

We got 5th grade female versions of Michael Myers before GTA6

KFHEWUI posted...

Their brains are underdeveloped at 10, 11 years old. The female brain isnt even quite half developed the part of the brain that regulates emotion. That kind of talks sense into this. Its early 20s, before the female brain is finished developing, said Webb.

Can we stop with this bullshit right here? People who say that stuff are basically saying "you can't punish stupid children when they do stupid stuff". While it may be true their brains are underdeveloped, you can't be giving them a pass on when they do dumb shit. It's the same excuse they use even when the kid is in their teens.

Punishment for these stupid girls are exactly what they need. How else are they gonna learn not to get this stupid again? Otherwise, you're saying to them that it's okay what they did.

Came in expecting something some dumb kid said blown way out of proportion.
Did not expect an actual thought out murder plot.

They really thought cops would believe a boy violently stabbed himself in the stomach as suicide.

Zikten posted...

They really thought cops would believe a boy violently stabbed himself in the stomach as suicide.

I'm guessing these girls watched the first Scream recently.

KFHEWUI posted...

charter schools

This is what taxpayer dollars fund with voucher money and charter schools.

</sarcasm, mostly>

texanfan27 posted...

Really detailed plan for 5th graders. How the hell they even consider fingerprints?

I learned all about hiding and dusting for fingerprints by reading Hardy Boys novels in the school library when I was still at that age.

Do kids still read Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew?

DnDer posted...

I learned all about hiding and dusting for fingerprints by reading Hardy Boys novels in the school library when I was still at that age.

Do kids still read Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew?

No, however there is a ton of access to true crime/criminal drama documentaries and shows/movies. Forensic Files may not be intended "for the kids", however their parents may watch these shows/movies and they watch them with their parents. There's also SVU, CSI, Criminal Minds, just to name a few of the fictitious ones that discuss fingerprints and DNA.

https://youtu.be/BreP8EwEbNo

JFC that's a scary amount of planning from a group of kids. Glad they caught them before they carried it out. Wanting to murder a boy over a break up is insane

StarFighters76 posted...

People who say that stuff are basically saying "you can't punish stupid children when they do stupid stuff".

Would you calm down? He wasn't saying they "basically" shouldn't be punished, he's saying it's difficult to make children realize how serious their actions are.

StarFighters76 posted...

Can we stop with this bullshit right here? People who say that stuff are basically saying "you can't punish stupid children when they do stupid stuff". While it may be true their brains are underdeveloped, you can't be giving them a pass on when they do dumb shit. It's the same excuse they use even when the kid is in their teens.

Punishment for these stupid girls are exactly what they need. How else are they gonna learn not to get this stupid again? Otherwise, you're saying to them that it's okay what they did.

Because clearly the best way to deal with a problem is to ignore the causes.

rick_alverado posted...

Because clearly the best way to deal with a problem is to ignore the causes.

like I said adults dont like to think about the possibility their kids have mental issues and even though they were recommended to seek professional help, they will more than likely avoid it

at the very least these kids should be expelled

if I had kids at that school and I learned they werent expelled for attempting and nearly doing a murder???

my kid would be out of that school

they also need to have mental health treatment. Someone needs to be monitoring them and helping them to not have these kinds of thoughts

Suicide by stabbing themselves in the stomach?

Kradek posted...

Surprise, Arizona exists.

idk why but I read this like a norm macdonald joke. Surprise! Arizona exists. lol

anyway, this is fucked up. I don't really have words for it, other than those kids clearly need help and I'm glad they were caught before going through with it.

Evolician posted...

Suicide by stabbing themselves in the stomach?

like I said for 5th graders its kind of thought out but they wouldve easily been caught if they actually did it

BucketCat posted...

idk why but I read this like a norm macdonald joke. Surprise! Arizona exists. lol

Lol nice

archizzy posted...

I went to a fairly rough school at that age. Transferred in my 5th grade year. It was super tough and even there I dont think anyone was capable of murder. Everything was fist fights and about punching someone and just trying to knock them out.

Like I remember a guy was murdered in this rough neighborhood directly across the street from the field we played in at school and we were all kind of taken back by that. This is straight diabolical and the fact it is multiple girls and not just 1 head case is crazy. An entire group of little sociopaths.

Same. I went to the 'inner city' high school in my county, and the biggest problem was girls getting pregnant. We had one guy the year after he graduated (I was a sophomore), murdered his girlfriend in a jealous rage and that was a HUGE deal, people talked about it for months.

Old enough to make plans, young enough to have a still-developing sense of empathy.

StarFighters76 posted...

Can we stop with this bullshit right here? People who say that stuff are basically saying "you can't punish stupid children when they do stupid stuff". While it may be true their brains are underdeveloped, you can't be giving them a pass on when they do dumb shit. It's the same excuse they use even when the kid is in their teens.

They got charged. No one is giving them a pass.

Punishment for these stupid girls are exactly what they need. How else are they gonna learn not to get this stupid again? Otherwise, you're saying to them that it's okay what they did.

They need help. You can do both

I went to school with Skylar Neese and the two piece of shit girls who killed her because they "didn't want to be her friend anymore".

Looks like there was a movie about it.

Jerry_Hellyeah posted...

I went to school with Skylar Neese and the two piece of shit girls who killed her because they "didn't want to be her friend anymore".

Looks like there was a movie about it.

I regret looking that up, goddamn

They planned out so much and almost went throughwith it were it not for literally planning the murder around other classmates out loud.

StarFighters76 posted...

Can we stop with this bullshit right here? People who say that stuff are basically saying "you can't punish stupid children when they do stupid stuff". While it may be true their brains are underdeveloped, you can't be giving them a pass on when they do dumb shit. It's the same excuse they use even when the kid is in their teens.

Punishment for these stupid girls are exactly what they need. How else are they gonna learn not to get this stupid again? Otherwise, you're saying to them that it's okay what they did.

She didn't say anything about giving a pass tho

When I was in the fifth grade I was grinding my Pokmon to level 100 on my GBA. What the fuck is wrong with these kids

All this over a breakup? What the fuck happened to murdering a pint of Ben and Jerry's instead?

How did they even come up with this shit? When I was in 5th grade I was too busy trying to beat Donkey Kong Country 2!

Kradek posted...

Are there stories of Vietnamese children criminally wilding as they do in the U.S.?

It does happen, mostly with rich kids. Not massively common here though. Back in the UK, I came across quite a few violent sociopathic children.