Texas boy admits to shooting and killing man in 2022 when he was only 7 years old, police say, but he won't be charged

South Texas police say that a 10-year-old boy admitted to killing a man in 2022 when he was only 7 years old.

The shocking admission came after the boy allegedly threatened to kill another student on a school bus on April 12. When the boy was questioned, he admitted to killing a man, and that prompted an investigation by the Gonzales County Sheriff's Office.

When questioned by police, the boy recalled in detail how he killed 32-year-old Brandon O'Quinn Raspberry in January 2022.

He said that he was visiting his grandfather at the Lazy J Recreational Vehicle Park and Ranch in Gonzalez County. Raspberry was also at the park in his own RV. The boy said he obtained a revolver owned by his grandfather from the glove compartment of his truck. He used it to shoot and kill Raspberry as the man slept in his RV.

Police say the boy told them that he didn't know the man he shot and the attack was unprovoked.

Investigators say they were able to recover the pistol, which was sold to a pawn shop in Seguin, and they connected it to the lethal shooting.

Police said the boy would not be charged with the murder because Texas law says that only children who have reached the age of 10 years can be culpable for committing crimes. The boy turned 8 years old a week after the shooting.

The child was sent to receive psychiatric treatment at a hospital in San Antonio and then sent to a detention facility in Gonzales County for a charge related to the incident on the school bus.

The Nixon-Smiley Consolidated Independent School District released a statement assuring parents that the child was not going to be allowed back onto the elementary school campus.

"Nixon-Smile CISD would like to reassure parents, students and the community that the safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance," read the letter from Superintendent Jeff Van Auken. "We extend our gratitude to the Gonzales County Sheriff's Department for their unwavering commitment to maintaining the safety of our schools and community."

Investigators say Raspberry had moved to the RV park only four days before he was shot and killed.

Here's a news report about the incident:

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