Disturbing details have emerged about a group of 5th-grade girls who plotted to murder a classmate and stage it to look like a suicide.
According to a police report, a group of 10- and 11-year-old girls at Legacy Traditional School’s West Surprise campus in Surprise, Arizona, allegedly plotted
to kill a boy, saying the goal was to “just end him,” AZ Family reports. The plan, reportedly hatched during lunch and recess on Oct. 1, 2024, was sparked by a recent breakup and accusations of cheating.The 5th-grade girls allegedly plotted to lure a classmate into the school’s outdoor bathroom, where one would stab him in the stomach. Each student had a specific role in the murder plot: one would bring the knife, another would write a fake suicide note to stage the scene, and a third would serve as the lookout. To avoid leaving fingerprints, they planned to wear gloves.
School administrators and the school resource officer launched an investigation after students who overheard the plot came forward. The following day, the girls’ backpacks were searched, and each suspect was questioned individually with a parent present.
All four students were arrested on charges of threatening and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. According to police, three expressed remorse, while the fourth smiled, laughed, and made excuses during questioning.
“Their brains are underdeveloped at 10, 11 years old. The female brain isn’t even quite half developed, the part of the brain that regulates emotion. That kind of talks sense into this. It’s early 20s, before the female brain is finished developing,” said Travis Webb, a Licensed Clinical Therapist.Additionally, today’s youth is more exposed to and desensitized by violence than previous generations, largely due to the influence of social media.
“2025 is different than 1995. It’s different than 1975,” Webb said. “They don’t really come up with this on their own. They don’t think violently. They certainly don’t think about gloves and fingerprints and suicide notes.”
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