Anderson 13-year-old facing murder and robbery charges after deadly stabbing

ANDERSON, Ind. – A 13-year-old in Anderson will soon face murder charges after a robbery turned deadly.

According to court documents, officers with the Anderson Police Department initially responded to a home along West 12th Street on Oct. 3 after a friend of 61-year-old Mark Miles found him lying on his kitchen floor. When police arrived, they found Miles had been stabbed to death.

Police found Miles’ body inside covered in blood, not far from a bloody kitchen knife. Detectives said a person in the area found a wallet belonging to the 61-year-old at a nearby gas station where Miles was last seen.

“That, compiled with some evidence from the scene of the home, suggested that it was a robbery,” described Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna.

Hanna said as that homicide investigation began, a woman reached out to police about a possible crime involving her son.

“Her juvenile 13-year-old son had $500 and had reported to her that he had stabbed someone in the course of attempting to ask someone for some money,” he described.

According to court documents, the teen eventually confessed that he spotted Miles at the gas station and wanted to rob him, so he followed Miles home.

“He had followed Mr. Miles back because he saw money in his wallet and when Mr. Miles wouldn’t give him that wallet and hit him in the head with his cane, the juvenile had stabbed him with a knife in his kitchen and left with the money,” Hanna said.

Court documents also state the boy told police he had robbed someone in Illinois before as well. The teen is now facing preliminary murder and robbery charges. Hanna said this is one of the youngest murder suspects he has seen.

The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office is now looking to try the 13-year-old as an adult.

“I take the view that if you’re old enough to know what you’re doing and you intentionally take the life of another person, we’re going to try you as an adult,” Hanna said. “Anytime you see juveniles associated or charged with offenses like this, it’s extremely concerning and disheartening.”

The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office said formal charges will be filed by Friday and it will file a request for the case to be waived into adult court next week.

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