A 9-year-old girl is facing charges after beating her 4-year-old brother to death with a broomstick.
The disturbing unfolded took place last Thursday in Mobile, Alabama, when the children’s aunt and caregiver, Yolanda Coale, was awakened by the sound of children screaming. She found the 9-year-old striking her brother repeatedly with the stick. Police responded to the home on Jacob Drive around 8 a.m. Sadly, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was quickly determined that the girl was responsible for the murder. She was charged with first-degree assault, a class B felony in Alabama. Coale was also arrested for aggravated child abuse after bruises on the boy’s body suggested long-term abuse, though it is unclear what role Coale played in that.
A close friend of Coale said the child abuse claims do not add up. The friend said they never witnessed Coale “scream or lose her temper.”
Coale is being held on $150,000 bail and has pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. If she is bonded out, she will be required to wear an ankle monitor and have no contact with children. Officials would not confirm if the 9-year-old girl had been released to the care of another relative or if she was still in state custody.
