Elias Reliford, Centennial, Colorado 5-year-old boy shot and killed by his eleven year old brother while napping after returning from kindergarten. No known motive.
What went wrong? An eleven year old boy in Colorado is alleged to have shot and killed his 5-year-old brother as the sibling was sleeping.
Elias Reliford was killed while taking a nap inside his family’s home in Centennial, Co., on March 10, his family said.
Reliford’s 11-year-old brother has since been arrested and is facing a charge of first-degree murder.
Siblings described as inseparable
Leading up to the shooting, Reliford had returned home from Timberline Elementary where he was a kindergarten student and took a nap that afternoon, while his brother was asked to do chores.
Stated the children’s great-aunt, Dawn Myles via WTSP: ‘Then that’s when everything happened — during that time that he was asleep,”
Adding, ‘[Elias] was very outgoing. Just loved being outside. Outside was his thing. He was a happy kindergartener. He was a happy kid.’
According to the relative, the two siblings were inseparable, stating: ‘If you saw one brother, you saw the other one.’
Describing the boy’s shooting death the relative said, ‘The most horrendous act that a human could commit on another human, especially a child.’
Adding, ‘We would have never imagined the big brother that he would hurt Elias.’
Parents perplexed by 11-year-old brother shooting and killing five year old sibling
The exact details of how Reliford was killed have not been revealed by authorities since the children are minors, including how the elder brother was able to obtain the murder weapon.
The family also declined to discuss the case as they process the horrific act.
Unable to cope with what happened, the relative said the family packed up their house and moved out for the foreseeable future into a hotel until they can find a new home.
Explained the relative, ‘The family is not well. There’s anger, there’s questions, there’s two losses here, you know, two brothers.’
Officials to date have not stated the boys’ parents facing any charges in relation to the five year old’s shooting death.
Complex investigation as 11-year-old boy now faces felony first degree murder
The 11-year-old is facing the murder charge and another of aggravated juvenile offender sentence enhancer, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.
He is being held inside the Marvin W. Foote Youth Services Center, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office has since described the death as a ‘very complex investigation’.
Under state law in Colorado, children as young as 10 can be criminally prosecuted, with those under 12 unable to be charged as adults.
Sheriff Taylor Brown said: ‘Cases involving the homicide of children are among the most difficult our deputies and investigators face.
‘Our team is fully committed to a thorough investigation, and we will continue working tirelessly to determine exactly what happened.
‘We know tragedies like this impact not only the family, but also classmates, teachers, and neighbors throughout the community.
‘We appreciate the support and patience of the public as our investigators work to gather the facts and pursue justice in this case.’
