A 10-year-old Wisconsin boy accused of killing his mother because she would not buy him a virtual reality headset appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.
During the court hearing, the boy sat quietly with his head down while his attorney asked that his bail be lowered from $50,000 to $100, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Attorney Angela Cunningham reportedly argued that the boy has no source of income, but around $100 in a piggy bank.
“We have spoken to him about his ability to post anything. He told us about piggy banks with savings that he had from gifts, from birthday gifts. And scavenging through cushions in the couch that he’s been able to save up,” Cunningham said.
WISCONSIN BOY, 10, CHARGED AS ADULT IN ALLEGED KILLING OF MOM OVER AMAZON PURCHASE
The Milwaukee County Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jane Carroll refused to lower the amount from $50,000 and also placed travel restrictions on the boy should he post bail.
Prosecutor Paul Dedinsky asked Carroll to require that he be released into the custody of a family member if he is released, but that restriction was not imposed.
Since the boy has been charged as an adult, Cunningham argued it would be “unheard of” to require a defendant in adult court to stay in the custody of a family member on pretrial release, the Associated Press reported.
The judge appeared to agree with Cunningham and required the child be placed on GPS monitoring if he gets out of juvenile detention, where he is being held.
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A 10-year-old boy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is being charged as an adult after he was accused of killing his mother who had not allowed him to order a virtual reality headset.
(WITI FOX6 Milwaukee)
The 10-year-old, who family members said has struggled with significant psychological issues, is facing alternate counts of first-degree intentional homicide or first-degree reckless homicide. His attorneys asked that the court drop a second count of reckless homicide, calling it redundant, according to the AP.
The charges stem from a Nov. 21 incident where the boy allegedly shot his mom in the face after she would not purchase an Oculus virtual reality headset for him from Amazon. After her death, he reportedly got on the account and purchased the video game.
Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets are displayed during a media preview of the new Meta Store on May 04, 2022 in Burlingame, California.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The judge ordered that he not be placed in shackles or any other kind of restraints. She also forbade media outlets from publishing any personal information about the child, including pictures and his home address.
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The boy will be back in court Jan. 19 for his next hearing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
