GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – As his younger sister lay recovering in a hospital just a few blocks away, a 15-year-old boy appeared in court through a video hookup on Monday, accused of stabbing her repeatedly.
A juvenile court referee agreed to hold the Caledonia High School student for at least five days to give Kent County prosecutors more time to decide on charges and whether to treat him as a juvenile or an adult.
The teen, who turned 15 just two weeks ago, is accused of stabbing his 13-year-old sister early Saturday afternoon in their home on Grainery Road SE in Caledonia while their father was at work. Records show they were living with their father after their parents divorced several years ago.
24 Hour News 8 is not naming the suspect because Kent County prosecutors haven’t decided yet whether to charge him as an adult.
Prosecutors say they believe the teen was trying to kill his sister.
“There are multiple injuries, multiple stab wounds all over her body,” Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Laura Clifton said on Monday. “She probably survived by the grace of God. It wasn’t for his lack of trying, that’s for sure.”
A relative posted on Facebook that the victim, a student at Caledonia’s Duncan Lake Middle School, is recovering and expected to survive. Sheriff’s investigators said they interviewed her today at the hospital, hoping to learn more about a possible motive.
Prosecutors said they are looking at a possible charge of assault with intent to murder.
“It’s a serious charging decision, so that’s why we want five days to gather all the information,” Clifton said.
The decision whether to charge the 15-year-old as an adult is based on the seriousness of the crime along with any criminal history. Juvenile Court records show he has no legal trouble in his past.
Prosecutors also consider the wishes of the victim and the victim’s parents, Clifton said.
“In this case, obviously it’s going to be a little tricky because they’re between a rock and a hard place being the defendant’s parents as well as the victim’s,” Clifton said.