12-year-old charged with attempting to kill younger brother

SUPERIOR, Wis. – A 12-year-old boy accused of stabbing his younger brother in far northwestern Wisconsin can be charged with attempted intentional homicide, a judge has ruled.

According to a criminal complaint, the older boy stabbed his 7-year-old sibling once in the back, twice in the abdomen and once in the chest in the Jan. 11 attack at a home on Solon Springs, about 45 miles (70 kilometres) south of Duluth, Minnesota.

The younger boy survived the attack and told police his older brother put a pillow over his face during the stabbing to mute his screams, KBJR-TV reported.

The judge made the ruling during a preliminary hearing Wednesday in adult court. The case could still be sent back to juvenile court; a hearing on that decision was scheduled for March 5.

In Wisconsin, juveniles over the age of 10 accused of attempted first-degree intentional homicide are first sent to adult court.

The 12-year-old is being held at the Northwest Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Eau Claire.