Two children have confessed to luring an 8-year-old boy into water-filled wells in Georgia and drowning him, with outraged attorneys claiming the crime was racially motivated.
Noah Bush, 8, was killed in May when he and the boys entered a restricted area in Wayne County that was riddled with borrow pits — massive holes dug so that soil can be filled in another location.
An 11-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, admitted in court Wednesday to his role in the killing and was sentenced to two years in prison, the WSB-TV.
“This 11-year-old boy admitted under oath that he led Noah Bush to the clay pits, pushed him into the water and ultimately held his head underwater until he drowned,” said Bush family attorney Francys Johnson.
In July, a 10-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, was sentenced to two years in prison for covering up the death of another person and trespassing in the Bush case.
Two children have confessed to killing Noah Bush (pictured), 8, in May
The two boys, a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old, lured Bush into water-filled wells and drowned him
“My baby was 8 years old and had his whole life ahead of him,” said Demetrice Bush, Noah’s mother. “And two years is what the state of Georgia calls justice for a whole life that was lost.”
“There is no peace, there is no comfort, there is no closure for me. I will live with this for the rest of my life.”
Under Georgia law, a minor can face up to two years in prison.
Bush disappeared on May 15 and his body was found in the loan pits a day later, according to reports. WJCL.
Police initially reported that no crime had been committed. The 8-year-old boy took off his shoes, walked around the no-entry area and stepped into deeper water, where he drowned.
However, the family hired the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Group to investigate the second-grader’s death, and the two children were charged in July.
The two boys were each sentenced to two years in prison for luring Bush (pictured) to the wells and then drowning him.
Bush was last seen in May when he went with two other boys to a restricted area in Wayne County riddled with loan sharks
The Bush family’s attorneys have vowed to continue pursuing justice and believe the crime was racially motivated
The Bush family’s lawyers have vowed to continue pursuing justice and are confident the crime was racially motivated.
“There are people who feel this way. They put up flags in their yards, they put up signs, they go on Facebook. They do it in front of their children, as if their children aren’t just soaking this up. This is the result of not standing up to hate,” Johnson said.
The 11-year-old girl’s mother, Natalie Hardison, reportedly attended the sentencing virtually on Wednesday because she is in jail.
According to WJCL, she was arrested in July on suspicion of making false statements during the investigation into Noah’s death.
“This is not the end,” said Mawuli Mel Davis, founder and partner of the Davis Bozeman Johnson Law Group.
“The adults involved who misled this family must also be prosecuted by all means available.”