DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP -- A 10-year-old boy is being charged as an adult with criminal homicide in the death of a 90-year-old woman in Wayne County.
The 10-year-old boy remains behind bars Tuesday morning. That could all change when his lawyer asks that bail be set.
Investigators plan to hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the Wayne County courthouse on the boy's murder arrest.
Tristin Kurilla is accused of killing a 90-year-old woman over the weekend.
Police say the murder on Saturday happened inside a home along Sky Lake Road in Damascus Township.
Kurilla was charged with homicide Monday night.
He is charged as an adult for the death of 90-year-old Helen Novak. According to investigators, Tristin Kurilla was visiting his grandfather Saturday who was also the caretaker of the elderly victim.
The boy went into her room and when she yelled at him to get out, things turned violent. Investigators say the boy put a cane at the woman's neck then repeatedly punched her throat. An autopsy shows that's what led to her death.
No one answered the door when we tried getting comment from the grandfather but his neighbor did. She talked about the murder so close to her home.
"I was shocked at first, but not surprise because the kid has emotional issues. I don't know how to explain it," the neighbor said.
The accused killer's mother also said something similar in court papers, stating her son had mental difficulties. We tried talking to the mom for comment but got no answer.
As for the accused killer Tristin Kurilla, he's a fifth grader in the Wayne Highlands School District. The superintendent says Damascus Area School where Kurilla goes was prepared once the news broke.
"We have a tragic event plan that we already put into place. We've already communicated with all of our administrators through this event as it unfolds," said Superintendent Greg Frigoletto.
Until Kurilla's defense attorney and the state can agree on where he'll be housed, the 10-year-old boy remains at the Wayne County Correctional Facility under 24-hour care.
Investigators tell us he's being kept separate from the population.
Regardless of where Kurilla ends up, investigators say at this point it appears he's the first 10-year-old boy in the state's history to be charged with criminal homicide.