14-year-old girl charged in stabbing death of wheelchair-bound sister as their parents slept



A 14-year-old Pennsylvania girl has been charged with killing her 19-year-old wheelchair-bound sister in their family home, allegedly stabbing her older sibling as their parents slept and calling 911 herself to confess the crime.

What are the details?

The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office said in a press release that 14-year-old Claire Miller has been charged with homicide, is being held in prison without eligibility for bail, and will be tried as an adult in the killing of her older sister, Helen Miller. They noted that "homicide is not considered a delinquent act in Pennsylvania."

WHTM-TV reported that according to court documents, Claire called 911 at around 1:00 a.m. on Monday in hysterics, telling authorities "she killed her sister." According to The Daily Mail, when officers arrived they found Claire outside the residence "covered in blood and trying to wash her hands in the snow." She reportedly said repeatedly, "I stabbed my sister."

When police went inside the family home they found Helen in her room, lying on her back with a blood-stained pillow over her face and a knife still lodged in her neck. Emergency responders were unable to revive her.

Manheim Township Police Chief Tom Rudzinski told WHTM that the murder occurred while the girls' parents were asleep in the same home. No motive has yet been determined.

"When I heard about this I was almost instantly upset about it myself over the details that had been related to me," Rudzinski said. He added, "I don't know that I have ever been a part of something that is quite as sad as this."

WPMT-TV reported that Claire is in the ninth grade at Lancaster Country Day School. Steve Lisk, head of the school, issued a statement saying, "We are surprised by the news of this incident and we're grieving ourselves even as we look to support the family and ensure support for all our students and families within our tight-knit school community."

Sarah Delia, a neighbor of the family, told the outlet in reaction to the tragedy, "It's not the kind of thing we would expect in our neighborhood. It's very quiet and peaceful."

Three dead from fallen trees, including 14-year-old girl, after Hurricane Laura rocks Louisiana coast



Hurricane Laura has claimed the lives of at least three individuals, including a teenage girl in Louisiana, officials reported Thursday morning.

The first reported fatality was a 14-year-old girl who died after a wind-swept tree fell on her home in Leesburg, Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced during a news conference Thursday.

That news was followed by reports of two more deaths that occurred under similar circumstances.

"One man died in Acadia Parish and another in Jackson Parish after trees fell on their homes," the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness said, according to NBC News.

Edwards and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), whose state was also hit hard by the hurricane, said Thursday that search and rescue teams are continuing to look for people who may have been trapped or injured by the storm.

Both governors added that no widespread casualties have been reported so far and that it appears, at least initially, that the storm surge was not as bad as they feared.

The National Hurricane Center had warned Wednesday that Laura's landfall would be "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" for the Louisiana-Texas coast.

Sure enough, the Category 4 hurricane was one of the most powerful to ever hit the continental United States, rocking the coast with winds up to 150 mph. The coast caught a break regarding the storm surge, however, which was projected to be as high as 20 feet but ended up coming in at 11 feet.

Abbott credited the low casualty count to the thousands of residents who listened to advice from officials and evacuated the coast.

Wreckage from the storm is expected to be significant, however. On Thursday morning, several harrowing images of the storm and its aftermath emerged on social media.

Of course, it will be days and possibly weeks until the full extent of the damage is assessed.

8-27-2020 Lake Charles, La Hurricane Laura Homes destroyed, flooded, trees down drone youtu.be