An 11-year-old boy has been sentenced in the drowning death of eight-year-old Noah Bush in Georgia, the Atlanta Black Star reports.
Bush, 8, was found dead in a borrow pit in Jesup, Georgia on May 16, a day after the boy was reported missing. Police initially believed the boy accidentally drowned in the water, citing that there were no signs of foul play.
Following an investigation, a medical examiner ruled Noah's cause of death was drowning and his manner of death a homicide. Wayne County officials charged two children, ages 10 and 11, in connection to Noah's death.
The 11-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts of involuntary manslaughter, simple battery, concealing the death of another, and criminal trespass.
A Wayne County judge sentenced the 11-year-old to two years in confinement.
During the sentencing hearing on Thursday (August 22), the boy confessed to pushing Bush into the water and holding his head underneath.
“I feel he deserves life in prison. He took his life and never showed remorse for his actions,” Bush's mother, Demetrice, said during her victim impact statement. “Even though he knows right from wrong, even though he lied to keep himself out of trouble because he knew what he did was wrong, he’s treated as a victim when it’s my son who’s dead.”
A second hearing will be held to determine damages owed to Bush's family. 35-year-old Natalie Hardison, the mother of one of the two children, was also arrested on charges of providing false statements, probation violation, and mandatory education for children between 6 and 16.
Last month, the 10-year-old boy was sentenced to two years in a detention center for his involvement in Bush's drowning.
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