Boy, 13, faces death penalty after killing boy, 5, with bowling ball

A boy was arrested and charged with capital murder related charges after killing a 5-year-old boy with a bowling ball, according to court proceedings in Texas.Police said that the 13-year-old Fort Worth boy confessed to killing his 5-year-old neighbor by hitting him twice in the head with the bowling ball, according to the allegations detailed during a detention hearing.

The teenager made the statement on the death of Sida Osman after people found him crying near the dead boy, according to a summary of the case against the teenager read by a government worker during the
hearing. Judge Kim Brown remanded the teen to custody.

 The suspect, who is not being identified because he is a minor, was seen wearing handcuffs chained to a belt around the waist during the hearing. The child showed little emotion as he stood before the judge. In a sworn court statement, police said the teen and Sida entered the fenced yard of a vacant house in the 4800 block of Lois Street, where the teenager became angry with Sida “and hit him several times in the head, causing his death.” Sida’s body was found Wednesday, about 18 hours after he was last seen riding his bike. Relatives of the 5-year-old, did not attend, as they were preparing for the funeral.

The Somali community members gathered at the Webber Gardens Apartments on Friday morning to offer condolences. They came from Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas to offer help as the family prepared to bury their child. Omar Ahmed, who helps his fellow Somali Bantu group through Africa Community Services, said that Sida will receive a traditional Muslim funeral.

He will be buried in Joshua. The suspect had been in and out of juvenile detention and was on probation at the time of the murder, according to Rick Stokes, a friend of the family. The teenager was arrested Thursday on a warrant for capital murder. Murders of children under 6 years constitute capital murder in Texas.