Taylor police: Note about flushing toilet led 13-year-old to fatally stab sister
TAYLOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Police say "a simple note about flushing the toilet" caused an argument between sisters that escalated to the 13-year-old fatally stabbing her 7-year-old sibling with two knives.
The incident took place after 1 p.m. on Saturday at a home on Banner Avenue in Taylor, near Telegraph Road.
The older sister is now facing multiple charges – including first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, and first-degree child abuse, according to a release from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
"She was very calm and just showed no emotion," said Taylor Detective Cpl. Zachary Digiacomo.
Authorities have not released the identities of either sister.
The girls' parents left them alone at home around 11:15 a.m. The 13-year-old was babysitting the 7-year-old when the argument broke out.
"It stemmed from a note that was placed in the bathroom and the note was about flushing the toilet," Digiacomo said.
After the argument, the 13-year-old allegedly waited until her sister was in the bathroom again to stab her several times using two knives – a butcher knife and a hunting knife, according to police.
The older sister first called her father and then 911, telling them that she had stabbed her sibling.
Upon arrival, police located the victim in the bathroom with "over 10 stab wounds ranging from the abdomen, to the head, to the neck," Digiacomo said. "All I can say is, it's shocking, and it's very tragic."
The 7-year-old was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy stated on Monday that the older sister should remain within the jurisdiction of the juvenile system instead of facing trial as an adult.
Yet, in a later development on Thursday, Oct. 3, during a legal proceeding, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office submitted a formal request to change the initial legal filing in the case, proposing that the 13-year-old be designated as an adult.
The designation is not the same as criminally trying the minor as an adult.
Instead, "upon conviction, an adult designation allows the judge to have the option of sentencing the respondent as a juvenile, or as an adult, or to fashion a blended juvenile sentence with the option of imposing an adult sentence if the juvenile is not rehabilitated," according to the prosecutor's office. "Other facts discovered in the case have caused the change to an adult designation."
The parents told police the 13-year-old had never been a problem at home or at school, leaving them stunned by the incident.
"They only shed light on just normal sibling arguments," Digiacomo said. "Growing up as kids, you argue with your siblings all the time, but it doesn’t lead to this."
A make-shift memorial was left on the family's front yard on Monday.
"When my grandma told me, I was horrified because they were best friends even though they were sisters," Matthew, an acquaintance of the sisters, told FOX 2 over the weekend. "They would always play together. They had My Little Pony toys, and they would play with each other."
EDITOR'S NOTE: The 13-year-old girl will be adult-designated. The story has been updated to include the changes submitted by the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
‘They were best friends’: Neighbors stunned after Taylor 13-year-old accused of killing 7-year old sister
Taylor neighbors were stunned on Saturday to learn a 7-year-old girl was stabbed to death -- and her 13-year-old sister to believed to be responsible.