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A 12-year-old Lethbridge, Alta., boy who “investigated a murder on YouTube” before stabbing his 7-year-old brother nine times pleaded guilty to attempted murder Wednesday afternoon.
A publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act means neither brother can be identified.
The older brother pleaded guilty Wednesday before juvenile court Judge Ryan Anderson in Lethbridge court. The 12-year-old, who appeared via video link, sobbed as the prosecution read aloud the agreed statement of facts.
The court heard that on August 27, 2025, both boys were home alone while their father was at the store.
According to the agreed statement of facts, the older brother “became furious” with his younger brother “and had a desire to harm his brother.”
The seven-year-old ran into the bedroom and hid on the bed under the blankets.
Meanwhile, the 12-year-old boy grabbed a knife from the kitchen, then followed the younger boy into the bedroom where he “stabbed him blindly.” [him] about nine times while his brother screamed in pain.”
The older boy then left the house and waited outside.
When his father returned from the store, he told him that, according to the facts, his brother “was dead in the house.”
The victim was airlifted to a children's hospital in Edmonton.
He suffered injuries to his face, hand, arm and back. Three wounds – to the brain, heart and chest – were considered serious and life-threatening.
In an interview with police, the older brother said he had “an urge that he could not control related to the voices he hears from time to time.”
According to the statement of facts, police also determined that he was “investigating a murder on YouTube prior to the attack.”
The boy will ultimately be subject to intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision, which is designed for young offenders with serious mental health problems. This means he will receive treatment along with a requirement for custody and supervision.
Details of the order will be presented at a sentencing hearing in February.
