9-year-old charged with murder in Illinois fire appears in court, doesn't understand charges

CHICAGO — A 9-year-old boy charged with murder in a central Illinois mobile home fire that killed five appeared in court Monday, struggling to understand the judge's explanation of the charges brought against him, according to local news outlets.

USA TODAY is not naming the boy because he has been charged as a juvenile.

The boy appeared in Woodford County juvenile court, sitting in a chair with his feet barely touching the ground and his head just reaching above the top of his seat, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Earlier this month, Woodford County State's Attorney Greg Minger charged the boy with five counts of first-degree murder, two counts of arson and one count of aggravated arson. Juvenile justice advocates were shocked, calling the charges "extremely uncommon."

'Extremely uncommon':9-year-old charged with murder after 5 die in Illinois fire

Judge Charles Feeney read the charges to the boy, but when asked if he understood the charges, the boy shook his head, the Tribune reports.

At one point, the boy's attorney, Peter Dluski, told the judge that his client didn't understand the meaning of "alleged" or "arson," the Tribune reports.

When the hearing adjourned, the boy began sobbing, and his grandfather escorted him out, according to the Peoria Journal Star.

The April 6 fire killed a 1-year-old, two 2-year-olds, a 34-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman near the town of Goodfield, about 150 miles southwest of Chicago. The victims— all family members — died of smoke inhalation.

The fire began shortly after 11 p.m. on a Saturday, according to the Star. By the time firefighters arrived on the scene minutes later, the trailer was engulfed in flames

Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman has said that the fire was started intentionally.

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, whose representatives attended the hearing Monday, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The boy has been in DCFS custody since the fire.

The boy's mother, Katie Alwood, spoke to several media outlets in defense of her son before the judge placed a gag order on the case.

"Everyone is looking at him like he's some kind of monster, but that's not who he is," Alwood told CBS News. "People make mistakes, and that's what this is. Yes, it was a horrible tragedy, but it's still not something to throw his life away over."

If convicted, the boy could be placed on probation for at least five years but not beyond the age of 21, Minger told the told the Journal Star in early October. Therapy and counseling would be likely, but incarceration is not an option, he said.

“In my opinion, if the child is so young that he doesn’t understand court proceedings, he’s probably too young to be charged with murder,” said Chicago-based juvenile defense lawyer Gus Kostopoulos.

No child as young as this one has been accused in a mass killing since at least 2006, according to the AP/USA TODAY/Northeastern University mass murder database, which tracks all U.S. homicides since then in which four or more people were killed, not including the offender.

The judge set another court date in November, the Tribune reports.