2. Arva Betts
Arva Betts was just 11 years old when she killed her brother and left her sister brain damaged on March 13th, 1989. Arva told police she had strangled 2-year-old Andrew Caesar to death after he tried to drink bug spray, and she then choked and hit 15-month-old Tiffany Caesar for breaking some figurines.
Arva also explained to investigators that she was often left alone to supervise her young siblings while her mother worked as a nurse’s aide, and felt neglected and unloved.
At 12 years old she was the youngest person to have ever been indicted for murder in Broward County, though she eventually plead guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, alongside aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to 12 years probation and forced to undergo a psychiatric evaluation as well as counselling.
Mental health experts involved in the trial testified that she had been abused at home, and had subsequently been let down by both mental health officials and school staff.
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