Real-life murders stories, no matter how inhumane and cruel, have seized to incite shock in readers. This is perhaps thanks to murder podcasts and other media that have normalized the violent act. So, unless and until something heart-wrenchingly gruesome happens, most people would scroll by.
However, something shocking and unexpected did happen recently. It made readers take pause and scroll upward to know the story better.
What makes the story extremely disturbing is the ages of the perpetrator and the victim. One would think that families were safe and that siblings, no matter how many fights they had, would care for each other.
But that myth was broken when a 12-year-old girl stabbed her 9-year-old brother through his chest in their home late at night. The boy, Zander Lyda, was hospitalized but didn’t survive. The girl, whose name wasn’t revealed, was taken into custody by the police.
In the footage, she appears apologetic and realizes the weight of her actions.
Gruesome Murder of Pre-Teen Brother By Older Sister Shakes Everyone
On January 5, a 12-year-old girl from Oklahoma confessed to the police that she had stabbed her 9-year-old brother as she was getting taken away in a patrol car. “I don’t know why I did it,” the teenager had said. The incident occurred in St. Thomas Square neighborhood in Tulsa downtown just before midnight.
The Tulsa police informed readers on January 6 that “the children’s parent was upstairs asleep when the 12-year-old daughter woke the parent up and said that she had stabbed her 9-year-old brother.” Law & Crime got hold of the footage of the incident recently, and it gives more details about the murder.
Here’s how the video plays out:
Perpetrator, in tears to her mother: “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
April Lyda, the mother, screamed: “There are stab wounds. In the chest. You better pray to God he f–––––– lives.”
The girl then takes the police to the knife she used to attack her brother. She said that after the act, she threw it right out of the second-story window. Her mother is in disbelief that her daughter used a knife. The girl’s answer remains the same. She repeatedly apologizes.
She tells police in the footage: “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what the f––– happened. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what happened.”
Zander Lyda, the 9-year-old boy, was taken to the hospital for surgery, but he breathed his last at around 2:30 a.m. on January 6.
While with the officers in the patrol car, the 12-year-old repeated that she had destroyed her life and will go to jail forever. An officer tries to console her throughout. She says, “I ruined my life. I ruined my whole future. It’s all my fault.” The officer tells her that nobody is at fault here. She again says:
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m going to jail for the rest of my life, and I’m so sorry God, please help me. What the f–––. Please. F–––––– please… I just want to wake up from this nightmare.” However, she never explains why she murdered her brother.Â
The Aftermath of The Shocking Murder By A 12-Year-Old Girl
A GoFundMe was started for the family by a close friend, Jennifer Anthamatten, who thinks of April Lyda as a sister. The fundraiser had this written in the description:
“Her daughter was a well-behaved child with no prior history of behavioral problems. Her son Zander was the sweetest boy who had the biggest smile. He loved to ride his bike, play Fortnite, hang out with his best friend, or just run errands with his mom. He loved spending time with his dad & grandma and going on trips with his family, and his favorite places were sky zone, incredible pizza, and the Children’s Museum. His favorite foods were cheese pizza, tacos, and chocolate ice cream. He was an amazing son who would always do what he was told, without hesitation. He wanted to make his mom proud, he loved his sister and brother very much, and he will be missed every second of every single day.”
In the footage, the police questioned the perpetrator about having cuts on her, and the 12-year-old replied affirmatively. She removed her hoodie to show cuts on her arm. Most of them looked old. There was one cut the officer found to be new. But he noted that there was no bleeding from it. She then wore her hoodie again. There’s speculation that the girl could be self-harming due to mental issues or problems at home.
The mother, April Lyda, has no idea why one of her children would harm the other. She relayed to the police that her daughter had never shown violent or aggressive behavior before this incident. She said, “I just don’t understand why she would have so much anger toward him. Especially at bedtime.”
An officer says in the clip, “You just wonder what’s going on in a 12-year-old’s mind.” The investigation is going on into the matter.
What do you think about this murder case? Why did the girl stab her little brother? Was the 12-year-old a victim herself of something?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: Law & Crime
