A new but not so shocking twist in the case of Leila Fowler happened over the weekend. Her 12-year-old brother was arrested in connection with her murder. If you recall, her brother was at home at the time of Leila's stabbing death last month and told police he saw a tall man with long gray hair run form the scene. Turns out he might have fabricated the entire thing.
Police released no information about what led them to arrest the unidentified 12-year-old for the April 27 attack. Following the crime, investigators did a door-to-door sweep of homes, storage sheds and horse stables scattered across the oak-studded hills foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Divers also searched two nearby reservoirs in search of clues.Leila's brother told police he found his sister's body and encountered an intruder in the home while their parents were at a Little League game. He described the man as tall with long gray hair. A neighbor told detectives she saw a man flee the home, but she later recanted the story.
A neighbor, the only person to cooberate the brother's story of a tall man with gray hair leaving the house, later recanted her story.
Details in the case remain minimal. Although the 12-year-old suspect's biological mom, Priscilla Rodriquez, told Sacramento television station KOVR that her son "could never hurt his sister," she also noted that a "bitter" custody battle helped create a divide between her and the children's father.
On the brighter side, if there is any, the small Calaveras County town can sleep better knowing that the a suspect -- a 12-year-old boy, not a tall stranger -- is now in custody. The small community had rallied together over the past couple of weeks to help find Leila's murderer while keeping a watchful, worried eye on their own children. "Citizens of Calaveras County, you can sleep a little better tonight," Sheriff Gary Kuntz explained to reporters Saturday.
A court date has not been released due to the suspect being a minor.
