Moment sobbing 12-year-old girl apologizes as she is arrested for ‘stabbing her brother to death’
Police bodycam footage captured the horrifying moments after a 12-year-old girl allegedly stabbed her nine-year-old brother to death at their Oklahoma home.
The siblings’ mother, April Lyda, told police she was sleeping upstairs when her daughter woke her up shortly before midnight to say she had stabbed her brother Zander.
The girl, whom police have not named, is heard sobbing and apologizing repeatedly when officers arrived at the home in downtown Tulsa on Jan. 5.
The boy was rushed to hospital and operated on, but died of his injuries shortly after 2:30 a.m. CT.
The edited video, obtained by The Law & Crime Network, begins with the girl running downstairs shouting, “I’m so sorry. I’m very sorry.’
As the girl is being taken out of the house by the police, Lyda appears at the door frame and says the boy has stab wounds on his chest.
The edited video begins with the girl running downstairs shouting, “I’m so sorry.” I’m very sorry’
The handcuffed girl then leads police to the knife she supposedly used to stab her brother, which she had thrown from a window
Mother April Lyda with her son Zander in a GoFundme appeal for the family after his 12-year-old sister was accused of stabbing him to death
“You better pray to God that he lives,” she tells the girl.
“I’m so sorry, mom,” the girl replies. ‘I do not know what happened.’
The handcuffed girl then leads police to the knife she supposedly used to stab her brother, which she had thrown from a window.
Once in the patrol car, the girl asks if she’s going to jail, while an officer tries to comfort her by saying it’s too soon to say.
“I ruined my life,” she says. “I ruined my whole future. It’s all my fault.’
At one point, the girl appears to be praying as she says, “God, please help me.” What the f***. Please. F*** please.’
While still in the car, she asks, “Are the handcuffs necessary?” I am a good child.’
The officer tells her it is given the nature of the incident.
The footage then goes to the police station, where an officer takes pictures of the girl’s arms and hands.
Lyda is then questioned by the police and says her daughter has never shown any aggressive behavior in the past.
“I just don’t understand why she would be so mad at him,” she says. “Especially before going to sleep.”
At the end of the video, as two officers talk, one says to the other, “You wonder what’s going on in a 12-year-old’s head.”
A motive for the murder remains unknown.
Zander Lyda who was stabbed to death on January 5 of this year in Tulsa, Oklahoma
A 12-year-old girl, whose identity is unknown, is accused of stabbing to death her younger brother, Zander Lyda, on January 5 in Tulsa. In the photo: Zander Lyda
“I ruined my life,” she says. “I ruined my whole future. It’s all my fault’
The footage then goes to the police station, where an officer takes pictures of the girl’s arms and hands
The girl is in juvenile detention with the Tulsa Police Child Crisis Unit in charge of the investigation.
The Tulsa Police Department told DailyMail.com on Wednesday that they are not commenting on the case as it involves a juvenile and is under seal, according to the district attorney’s office.
Lyda’s friends have started a GoFundMe to help the family with the costs of what they describe as an “unexpected tragedy.”
“Losing her 9-year-old son to her 12-year-old daughter has completely devastated and confused this mother and their family. We are still trying to figure out why this happened,” the page reads.
“Her daughter was a well-behaved child with no history of behavioral problems. Her son Zander was the sweetest boy who had the biggest smile, he loved riding his bike, playing fortnite, hanging out with his best friend or just running errands with his mom.”
The page adds that Lyda is still raising a three-year-old son as a single parent, and the money will be used for their move into a new home, as well as legal fees, bills and a car repair.
A recording from a news report after Zander fatally stabbed Lyda on January 5. When officers arrived, firefighters and paramedics were “already on scene and performing CPR on a 9-year-old male victim,” police said
Pictured: The Family Center for Juvenile Justice in Tulsa, where the 12-year-old girl was held after the fatal stabbing in January
Lyda left a message on GoFundMe discussing the footage, saying, “It’s not appropriate for them to post that.”
She claims the girl started having behavioral problems when “she was put back on a drug she had been off for over a year,” adding that “they weren’t psycho drugs.”
Lyda also wrote, “I can’t go into details because I’m not sure what all I’m allowed to share yet.
“She never even yelled at me, she was happy and energetic loves school, she is not mentally ill and nothing has been diagnosed. She has been very well behaved the whole 6 months she has been gone and yes I am very supportive and love her very much, obviously there is a lot of healing that we both need before we can ever live together again.”