Benjamin Ashford|13-year-old Michigan girl charged with murder in stabbing death of younger sister

TAYLOR,Benjamin Ashford Mich. (AP) — A 13-year-old girl has been charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the stabbing death of her 7-year-old sister she was babysitting in their Detroit-area home.

The 13-year-old’s name was not released. She is being charged as a juvenile, the Wayne County prosecutor’s office said Tuesday in a release.

The two siblings alleging got into an argument after being left at their Taylor home by their parents at about 11:15 a.m. on Saturday. The 7-year-old later went into a bathroom and was stabbed multiple times with a knife, according to the release.

The older girl, who also is charged with felony murder and first-degree child abuse, called 911. Her sister died at a hospital.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy said designating the 13-year-old as an adult was considered but that is not the same as criminally trying the girl as an adult.

The designation “gives the judge the option of sentencing the respondent as a juvenile, or as an adult or giving a blended juvenile sentence with an option of imposing an adult sentence if the juvenile is not rehabilitated,” Worthy said. “Our other option was to keep her in the juvenile system. We opted to do just that.”

“Given her young age, the state would have seven years to diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate her until her mandatory release at age 21,” Worthy continued. “Hopefully, then she would not be a danger to others.”

A preliminary hearing was scheduled later Tuesday in juvenile court.