A 10-year-old boy who has been accused of murdering his mom over a virtual reality headset has reportedly asked his family to protect his gadgets while he remains in custody.
The Milwaukee boy is being charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide after he allegedly shot his mother - 44-year-old Quiana Mann - in the face on November 21 when she refused to buy him a VR headset.
Per The Daily Mail, the boy had been in therapy for over a year to help with his mood and behavioral disorders. Part of the treatment involved limiting the use of screens and tech devices.
The boy's aunt, Rhonda Reid, also claimed he does not remember the shooting and changes the topic back to his devices when she speaks to him in custody, according to reports from WTMJ-TV.
Reports about the devastating incident allege that the boy shot his mother at around 07:00 AM after she told him that she would not buy him a new VR headset on Amazon. The boy is claimed to have told police that he had also been frustrated that his mom had woken him up at 06:00 AM.
Soon after allegedly shooting his mom, the boy reportedly ordered a new headset from Amazon using her card.
Earlier this week, the boy's family spoke to a local Milwaukee news station TMJ4 about the tragic incident, with reporters asking Reid if she believed her nephew was capable of hurting his mother.
"No, absolutely, not," she said, before adding: "He was upset about these [electronic] devices being taken away [...] When he calls, he's just like, 'make sure all my tablets and laptop and everything of mine is packaged.'"
When she speaks to her nephew from juvenile detention, she says he quickly changes the subject of the conversation if she tries to initiate a discussion on the shooting. Reid also added that her nephew is too young to understand the severity of the charges and what they could mean for him.
The boy's grandmother, however, has since stated that she is finding speaking to her grandson too difficult. Lueritha Mann said: "He needs to pay for what he's done," adding that she hopes she would be able to speak to him one day. "I hope I do one day, but right now no. He took something very precious from me," she said.
Earlier this month, the boy's attorney Angela Cunningham asked for a bail reduction from $50,000 to $100 - the amount of money in his piggy bank - the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
"We have spoken to him about his ability to post anything. He told us about piggy banks with savings that he had from gifts, from birthday gifts. And scavenging through cushions in the couch that he's been able to save up," she had told the outlet.
The request was denied by Judge Jane Carroll, who also imposed a travel restriction on the boy that would go into effect should he manage to post bail.