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.
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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