A 12-year-old boy described by a neighbor as having a volatile temper was arrested in the deaths of his mother and younger brother at their apartment outside Washington, D.C.
Police released few details about the slayings, discovered Sunday, and declined to say how the victims died. The boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was scheduled to appear in juvenile court Monday afternoon.
“It apparently was a domestic dispute that turned deadly,” said Cpl. Debbi Carlson, a police spokeswoman.
Katrina Denise Powe, 31, and her 9-year-old son, Mystery Toma Hillian, were found dead around 11 a.m. Sunday, and police took Powe’s oldest son into custody, said Cpl. Clinton Copeland, of the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Neighbors said the older boy often watched his younger brother, but was known in the neighborhood for having a temper.
“If he got into an argument or something, like with other kids, he would kind of explode, and like go off,” Azalia Taylor told WRC-TV.
The suspect will face juvenile charges, though it will be up to the state’s attorney’s office to determine them, Carlson said. He was being held at Boys Village, a juvenile facility.
