A Pennsylvania teen allegedly said during a video chat he killed someone then showed the body, officials reported Saturday.
The Bensalem Police Department received a 911 call Friday from a woman claiming her daughter received an Instagram video chat from a teenage acquaintance.
“During the video chat, the 16-year-old stated that he had just killed someone. He then flipped the video image and showed the legs and feet of someone covered in blood. He then asked for assistance with disposal of the body,” the agency’s arrest details continued:
Bensalem Police were advised that the 16-year-old, later identified as Joshua Cooper, lived in Top of the Ridge Trailer Park located at 1446 Gibson Road, Bensalem PA. Police went to check the property and as they arrived, a juvenile male ran out of the back of the trailer. When officers entered the mobile home, they observed a deceased juvenile female on the floor of the bathroom with an apparent gunshot wound. There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene.
It was not long before officers located the juvenile and took him into custody. The suspect was charged as an adult with criminal homicide, possessing instruments of crime, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Following his arraignment, Cooper was denied bail and transported to the Edison Juvenile Detention Center.
The victim in the case was reportedly 13-years-old, according to 6 ABC Philadelphia.
One neighbor told the outlet, “It is terribly sad when a youth makes such a life-changing decision probably based on nothing more but like some hurt feelings,” he speculated:
Another neighbor said Cooper and his father moved into the area several months ago and the boy seemed “troubled.”
Officials scheduled a preliminary hearing but authorities have not yet offered information regarding a possible motive in the case, according to CBS Philadelphia.
As the crime wave continues plaguing citizens in President Joe Biden’s (D) America, Gallup reported October 28, “Americans are more likely now than at any time over the past five decades to say there is more crime in their local area than there was a year ago.”
“The 56% of U.S. adults who report an increase in crime where they live marks a five-percentage-point uptick since last year and is the highest by two points in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1972,” the article said.