Minnesota Teen Smothers 5-Year-Old Brother To Death While Trying To Stop Him From 'Throwing A Fit'

A teen smothered his 5-year-old brother to death while trying to stop him from "throwing a fit". The incident took place in Rochester, Minnesota, on Monday (June 1).

According to local reports, deputies and medics responded to a home Monday evening to find a boy not breathing. The deputies found the boy, identified as Alex James Smith, in a bedroom. They attempted life-saving measures and the boy was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Olmsted County Sheriff’s Capt. Scott Behrns said preliminary results of an autopsy revealed that the boy died of asphyxiation. His brain had swelling consistent with oxygen deprivation.

The boy’s elder brother, 17-year-old Kaleb Wolfe Smith, was detained for questioning during which he confessed to smothering the victim. He told the investigators that Alex had killed a bird following which he was sent upstairs to his bedroom by his mother. Kaleb heard the boy crying and went to his room. Alex, however, continued to throw a fit. In an attempt to stop the boy from throwing a fit, Kaleb pinned his hands to his body and draped a blanket over him. He then left the room.

When Alex continued to shriek, Kaleb entered the room and pinched the boy’s nose shut and covered his mouth until the boy stopped shrieking. He told the investigators that he placed his hand on his brother’s mouth for “one to two minutes.”

The Olmsted County District Court charged the teen with second-degree murder and domestic assault by strangulation. Investigation into the incident was ongoing.

The incident comes months after a teen accidentally shot and killed his 13-year-old cousin in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Officers responded to a home and found the accused, 19-year-old Anthony Padilla, holding the victim, Patricio Arroyo, in his lap. The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was pronounced dead on arrival. The family members told the officers that they saw Padilla walking out of a bedroom with a shotgun. He then pointed the weapon at the victim and shot him. Padilla said he pulled the trigger assuming that the gun was not loaded.