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10-Year-Old Becomes Missouri's Youngest Person Charged With Murder
A 10-year-old Missouri boy has become the youngest person known to face a murder charge in the state's history after allegedly shooting a 7-month-old baby in the head. The infant's teenage father has also been charged after investigators say he left the firearm where the child could easily access it.
Ca’Marion Pawnell was charged in the death of his 7-month-old child after a 10-year-old allegedly killed her.(St. Louis Police)
A baby had barely begun her life.
Now, two children and a teenage father are at the center of one of Missouri's most heartbreaking criminal cases.
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On June 26, police were called to a home in St. Louis, Missouri, after reports of a child being shot. Officers found 7-month-old Kiyomi Parker suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Despite life-saving efforts and emergency transport to a nearby hospital, she later died from her injuries.
Investigators say the alleged shooter was a 10-year-old boy, making him the youngest person believed to have ever been charged with murder in Missouri. Because of his age, his identity has not been released, and the case will proceed through the juvenile court system.
According to court documents, the boy told police he knew where a handgun was hidden beneath a mattress and had handled it before. Witnesses told investigators he retrieved the weapon and fired a single shot, striking the infant while another young child was also inside the home.
But the tragedy didn't end there.
Police also arrested Ca'Marion Pawnell, the baby's 19-year-old father, after he admitted the firearm belonged to him and that he had stored it under the mattress where the boy found it. Prosecutors have charged him with second-degree murder, child endangerment resulting in death, and additional child endangerment offenses. He is being held without bond.
If you've followed this far, here's the part that actually matters.
The relationship between the 10-year-old and the victim's family has not been publicly disclosed, and investigators continue to piece together exactly how the shooting unfolded.
What is clear is that a seven-month-old girl lost her life, a 10-year-old now faces a murder charge, and a teenage father faces allegations that an unsecured firearm made the tragedy possible.
For one St. Louis family, the consequences will last far longer than any court case.
Editor's Note
This case is heartbreaking on every level.
A baby is dead. A child now faces a murder charge. A young father is accused of failing to secure a firearm.
While the courts will determine criminal responsibility, the tragedy also serves as a stark reminder that safely storing firearms can mean the difference between life and death, especially when children are present.
