According to a recently released police report, disturbing details have emerged about a group of fifth-grade girls accused of plotting to murder a boy in their class while making it appear to be suicide.
Four Legacy Traditional School students in Surprise, Arizona, were accused of plotting to lure a fellow fifth-grader into a bathroom, stab him and forge a suicide note to make the killing appear self-inflicted.
However, the plot to “just end him,” according to the report, unravelled in October 2024 when another student overheard the group discussing it in detail during lunch and informed a parent, who notified the school.
The students, two 10-year-olds and two 11-year-olds, discussed wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, according to the police report. Someone was reportedly assigned to stand guard.
One girl stated that she thought the conversation was a joke until it became serious. Another said she participated because she did not want to be perceived as “weird.” A third told police that she only realised the plan was real after she was assigned a role.
According to the police report, the suspected ringleader, a girl who had allegedly been in a “relationship” with the intended victim, told others that she hated him after he cheated on her and wanted him dead.
All four students were arrested on charges of threatening and disorderly behaviour. Three of the students reportedly expressed regret and apologised, while the fourth allegedly laughed during the investigation and made excuses for her actions, according to NBC News, citing the police report.
When the students were arrested, they were suspended pending expulsion before being released to their parents, according to AZ Family.
Legacy Traditional School stated in a statement that student safety is its number one priority, and the situation was resolved immediately.
“Due to federal student privacy laws, we cannot discuss individual student disciplinary matters,” according to the statement. “Any student who makes or shares a threat may face disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion.”
The parents of the accused students did not respond to NBC News or AZ Family’s requests for comment.
