Following reports that he confessed to shooting and killing an 82-year-old former mayor and his daughter, who is 31 years old, a little child in Louisiana, who is just 10 years old, has been taken into jail.
On Sunday, September 1, the bodies of Joe Cornelius and his daughter Keisha Miles were discovered inside a property in Minden, according to a report from the local police, KTBS, the Minden Press-Herald, and the Webster Parish Journal.
The victims had been shot many times, according to the police, as reported by KTBS.
“We have the suspect in custody now,” Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said of the 10-year-old, as reported by the Minden Press-Herald. He also said, “We have a confession from the suspect.”
On the other hand, McIver said to KTBS that instances involving children are difficult to understand.
We are going to make a confession. However, when you are in these situations, it is a really sensitive situation. When you are working with a youngster of this age, you know, at their stage, we are looking at… was there a reason, what was the rationale behind the behavior? This is what he shared with the publication.
When McIver proceeded, he said, “It’s one of those things that we still have a lot of questions that have not been answered.”
In addition, he said that despite the fact that the boy was being “scared,” it seemed as if he had the “mindset to commit a crime like this.” When McIver made his statement, it was not immediately evident what kind of mentality he was getting at.
A lack of information on the nature of the child’s relationship with the victims was not disclosed by the official authorities.
According to KTSB, McIver said that the youngster was escorted by his grandmother, who is his legal guardian, for the purpose of questioning throughout the inquiry. The nature of the crime that the youngster was detained for was not immediately obvious, nor was it known whether or not he had obtained legal representation to speak on his behalf.
As of Monday, September 2, the Minden Police Department was not accessible for comment.
According to the Webster Parish Journal and KTBS, Cornelius was well-known in the community and had held the position of acting mayor of Minden for a short period of time in 2013.
As a previous member of the Minden City Council, he was well-known for his work with the youngsters of the community, which earned him the moniker “Mister Joe,” as stated in a newspaper clipping from 2003 that was provided by KTLA.
According to KTLA, he established the Concerned Citizens of Minden in 1990 when a little boy called Tray Day, who was just ten years old at the time, informed him that there were no activities available for children during the summer. Subsequently, the group would proceed to gather cash for the purpose of student scholarships.
The mayor of Minden, Nick Cox, published a statement in which he recalled him as a close friend and a politician who was committed to serving his city.
According to KTLA and KTBS, Cox stated in a statement that “Joe Cornelius’s years of service to Minden were marked by his commitment and dedication to the betterment of our community.” Joseph Cornelius has been a resident of Minden for many years.