Trial set for 13-year-old boy accused in killing of 6-year-old cousin in River Oaks
A 13-year-old boy accused of killing his 6-year-old cousin by using blunt force trauma to her head at her River Oaks home in August is scheduled to go to trial next month at a Tarrant County juvenile court, according to court records.
The trial for the boy is scheduled for July 11, but court officials said that could change.
Authorities have not identified the boy because he is a juvenile.
He is currently younger than 14, which requires any hearing he’s in to be closed, court officials said based on Texas Family Code, unless the interest of the child or the public is better served for it to be open.
The boy faces charges of delinquent conduct/capital murder of a person under 10 years of age and delinquent conduct/aggravated assault of a family member causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon.
He’s accused of killing 6-year-old Isabella Courtney on Aug. 18, 2021, at her River Oaks home. She died from a head injury and her death was ruled a homicide, according to officials with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Authorities have not released any information on a motive for the killing.
The boy was taken into custody shortly after the incident, and he was held at Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Detention Center in Fort Worth.
Shortly after he was detained, State Judge Alex Kim ordered the boy to remain at the detention center. The judge made the ruling during a hearing which was closed to the public.
Several weeks later, the boy was released to family members. As of Thursday, the boy remained with the family.
River Oaks police responded to a call of an injured person shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2021. Once they arrived on the scene, officers found the victim outside of her home on Melba Court. Officers began administering medical aid until paramedics arrived, River Oaks Police Chief Christopher Spieldenner said in a news release.
The girl was then taken to the Fort Worth hospital where she died.
The juvenile suspect who the police chief said was involved in the incident was detained at the scene. Other people were inside the home at the time of the incident, and children were outside in the yard, River Oaks police said.
“They don’t get any worse than this,” Spieldenner said in an August interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, referring to a homicide involving a child.
Close friends of the family started a GoFundMe page to raise money to help the parents with “memorial expenses and family expenses associated with the loss of Bella Courtney,” the website says.
