Charges filed against 10-year-old boy in San Diego slaying

In a mobile home park full of boys darting around on scooters, Ryan Carter was known as the peacemaker. So when two of his friends got into an altercation Monday afternoon, the 12-year-old stepped in between them.

This time he wasn’t able to bring calm.

One of his playmates, a 10-year-old boy, got a knife and stabbed him to death in a tragic turn of events that left the boys’ families and neighbors grasping for explanations.

On Wednesday, the San Diego County district attorney’s office announced that the younger boy is being charged with murder and felony assault, and will be tried as a juvenile.

Outside the Carters’ home, flowers and votive candles lined the street where the two boys were often seen playing together.

The 10-year-old defendant was described as an energetic, but troubled child prone to fits of anger. But his friends seemed to know how to handle him, and many neighbors and friends couldn’t fathom the boy’s violent act.

“I’m pretty sure he thought it was like a cartoon. You stab him, he comes back to life,” said Karen Hale, a friend of the Carter family.

The district attorney’s office did not comment on the decision to charge the boy with murder. His detention hearing is scheduled to be held Thursday in juvenile court in San Diego.

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-- Richard Marosi

Photo: Ryan Carter