A 17-year-old boy is charged in juvenile court with killing his 5-year-old brother in southeast Minnesota by pinching the boy’s nose shut and holding his hand over his mouth.
The Eyota teen wanted to stop his brother from “crying and throwing a fit,” according to a charging document. The boy was taken June 1 by ambulance from the Olmsted County community to a hospital and was declared dead a short time later.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said the boy’s brain suffered swelling consistent with being deprived oxygen by smothering, the Star Tribune reported.
The teen is charged with second-degree murder and domestic assault. He faces a hearing Wednesday in Olmsted County court.
It wasn’t immediately known if the teen had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this article