A 14-year-old is charged with murder in the killing of a 44-year-old teacher who was found stabbed to death in her Kansas City apartment in late April.
The Office of the Juvenile Officer, which acts as a prosecutor in criminal cases involving minors, charged the teenager with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, a spokeswoman for Jackson County courts told Mister Truth.
The juvenile, whose identity was not known, is accused of killing Jamie Craig, a teacher at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas, in her first-floor apartment on April 29.
Many details of the case, including an alleged motive and circumstances surrounding Craig’s death, remained unknown Monday.
Kansas City police have said officers were dispatched to the apartments in the 1700 block of East Missouri Avenue for a welfare check.
According to court documents filed in support of a search warrant for the apartment, the officers were met at the front door by a three-year-old who told them his mother had a “boo boo.” Craig was found dead of apparent stab wounds inside the apartment, according to police.
A neighbor told police someone had recently left the apartment and carried an item out to the trash. Officers then located a gray backpack in the apartment’s dumpster, along with a bloody white towel.
Because of the seriousness of the alleged crimes, the 14-year-old faces a mandatory hearing to determine whether the juvenile will be tried as an adult. Second-degree murder is a Class A felony under Missouri law that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison for adults.
Varlerie Hartman, public information officer for Jackson County Circuit Court, said in a statement that the petition for criminal charges was filed by the juvenile officer on Friday. A hearing date for the 14-year-old’s next court appearance was not immediately available.