NEW ORLEANS — A 13-year-old boy from a New Orleans suburb was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his 5-year-old half-sister after investigators said he told them he repeatedly struck her with wrestling moves imitated from TV.
"The 13-year-old reported he started to wrestle with the victim and practiced 'WWE' style wrestling moves on the 5-year-old," Col. John Fortunato of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday.
Those moves allegedly included repeatedly slamming the girl on a bed, punching her in the stomach, jumping on her and striking her with his elbow. A coroner's investigation found the girl died of multiple injuries, including broken ribs, lacerations of the liver and internal bleeding.
In a statement released Tuesday, WWE offered condolences to the victim's family but cautioned against attributing the death to its industry.
"Authorities have already charged the accused with second-degree murder and determined that this was not an accidental death due to a wrestling move," the organization said.
"As in similar cases, criminal intent to harm and a lack of parental supervision have been the factors resulting in a tragic death."
The boy had been left to babysit the girl by his stepmother when the alleged beating occurred, authorities said. After the beating, the girl later complained of a stomach ache. When she stopped breathing, the boy called 911. Emergency responders could not revive her and she was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The boy was taken to a juvenile facility and booked on a second-degree murder arrest warrant after he was interviewed by homicide Detective Matt Vasquez.
