LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — Family members of the southwest Michigan 9-year-old accused of killing his mother said they knew the boy had mental health problems, but they never expected him to hurt his mother.
"They might say, 'He was fine a minute ago and all of a sudden he lost it,' which is really oftentimes one of the impacts of trauma," Jim Henry, the director of theChildren's Trauma Assessment Centerat Western Michigan University, said.
The boy, whose name 24 Hour News 8 is not using because of his age and the early status of thecriminal caseagainst him, allegedlyshot 51-year-old Pauline Randolin their Sturgis-area home Monday. Family members say Randol had adopted the child out of troubled circumstances about two years ago. Despite the loving home she provided, they said, the boy was still showing signs of mental illness.
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