HIALEAH, Fla. – A 13-year-old boy is in custody after Hialeah police say he killed his mother late Thursday night.
It happened at the Amelia Oaks apartment complex, located at 211 W. 79th Place.
Lt. Eddie Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the Hialeah Police Department, said the boy called 911 just after 11:30 p.m. to report that he had “just murdered his mother.”
Officers arrived to find the woman, later identified as 39-year-old Irina Garcia, dead “in her bedroom next to a crib” containing a 14-day-old baby, who was unharmed, Rodriguez said.
Police believe the boy, later identified by authorities as Derek Rosa, waited until Garcia fell asleep and then stabbed his mother multiple times.
Authorities said the boy is an honor student at iMater Charter Middle/High School and said he was calm and apologetic after officers arrived at the scene.
It was “not what you’d think or expect walking into that home or seeing that crime scene,” Rodriguez said.
Local 10 News obtained cellphone video that showed the boy walking out of the apartment as officers took him into custody.
“I was shocked, just shocked by the news,” neighbor Lazaro Rodriguez said in Spanish. “He was always with his mom, calm, he would help her carry packages or shopping bags. I never saw anything abnormal with him. I don’t know what could’ve happened.”
The boy had no previous history of mental health issues and police haven’t responded to the family’s apartment before, Rodriguez told Local 10 News Friday.
“Neighbors don’t know of any problems inside the home,” Rodriguez said. “So this has detectives and us dumbfounded.”
A Local 10 News crew was outside of the home when family members, including the boy’s stepfather were seen late Friday afternoon arriving at the home and entering the apartment.
Officials said the baby is now with her grandmother.
They said police took the teenager to the juvenile detention center, and later Jackson Memorial Hospital, after he threatened to harm himself. He appeared in court Friday.
Authorities have not yet identified a suspected motive for the killing. Rodriguez said the teen “did not provide any information as to why he did what he did.”
“It’s something we’re all asking ourselves now,” Rodriguez said.
Officials said the state is hoping to take the case to a grand jury.
Editor’s note: The original version of this article misstated the baby’s age as 7 months old. A subsequent version stated the baby was 7 days old, citing a police press release. Police later corrected their initial release and said the baby was 14 days old. The article has since been corrected.