- The 13-year-old has no known mental health problems and there were no known problems in the family home
- Police believe the boy waited until his mother fell asleep and then stabbed her several times
- Authorities said he was calm and apologetic when they arrived at the scene
A 13-year-old boy is in custody after authorities say he stabbed his mother to death as she slept next to her newborn before calling 911 to confess.
Derek Rosa, of Hialeah, Florida, allegedly killed his mother, Irena Garcia, 39, last Thursday “in her bedroom next to a crib” containing his 14-day-old sister.
Lt. Eddie Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Hialeah Police Department, told WPLG-TV that the honors student then called 911 just after 11:30 p.m. to report that he had “just killed his mother.”
Officers found Garcia dead from multiple stab wounds to the neck in the family’s apartment.
Rosa then reportedly apologized to police and left with them without incident.
Derek Rosa, 13, is in police custody after allegedly killing his mother last Thursday
Rosa was taken into custody by the police last Thursday evening
Rosa posed with his mother and stepfather in matching outfits for a maternity photo shoot
Police believe the boy waited until his mother fell asleep and then stabbed her several times.
Rosa is an honor student at iMater Charter Middle/High School.
Lt. Rodriguez said it was “not what you would think or expect when you go into that house or see that crime scene.”
Rodriguez said the teen “didn’t provide any information about why he did what he did,” adding, “It’s something we’re all wondering right now.”
Footage from the scene showed the boy walking out of the apartment as he was being arrested by police.
A neighbor, Lazaro Rodriguez, said, “I was shocked, just shocked by the news. He was always with his mother, calm, helping her carry parcels or shopping bags. I’ve never seen anything abnormal with him. I don’t know what could have happened.’
Rodriguez told Local 10 News last week that the boy had no history of mental health issues and that police had not previously been to the family’s apartment.
He said: ‘Neighbors don’t know about any problems in the house. So this has stunned investigators and us.”
Rosa’s mother, Irena Garcia, 39, had just given birth to his younger sister two weeks earlier
The apartment building where Rosa lived with his family in Florida
Rosa lived in the flat with his mother, newborn sister and his stepfather, who works as a truck driver, all of whom he reportedly got along well with.
Rosa was alone in the apartment on Thursday evening with his sister and their mother. His stepfather was reportedly in Georgia at the time.
The family was seen arriving at the flat and entering the apartment after Rosa was taken into custody.
In a family photo shared by local news media just before Garcia gave birth, Rosa and his stepfather are seen in matching outfits, lovingly cradling Garcia’s baby bump.
In what appears to be a maternity photoshoot, the couple is dressed in matching pale pink polo shirts and khaki pants.
Officials said his sister is now with her grandmother.
The teen was taken to a juvenile detention facility and then moved to Jackson Memorial Hospital after threatening to harm himself.
He appeared in court Friday and officials say the state hopes to take the case to a grand jury.