A 17-year-old boy beat a 14-year-old to death in Virginia last month after he asked the younger teen to smoke marijuana with him and the younger boy told an adult, law enforcement sources told News4.
Luis Coca-Crespo was found dead May 12 in the bedroom of the townhouse in Dale City, Virginia, where his family rented an apartment.
The 17-year-old boy, whose family lived in the lower level of the house, confessed to the crime, a Prince William County detective testified in court Monday at a preliminary hearing.
News4 is not naming the teen suspect because he was charged as a juvenile.
Det. Giannina Pinedo, who investigated the killing, testified that Coca-Crespo's sister called 911 after she discovered her little brother dead in his room.
The 17-year-old neighbor quickly became a suspect.
"He told me the reason he'd been planning the killing for a while was because [Coca-Crespo] told on him," Pinedo said in court.
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The 17-year-old attacked the eighth-grader, who went by Erick, when Coca-Crespo's grandfather died and his parents traveled to their native Boliva for his funeral.
Police said the two families were distant relatives.
The teen suspect told the detective he attacked the boy with a hammer, hitting him at least four times, and then tying his arms and legs with cord. Coca-Crespo suffered blunt force trauma to his head and torso.
"While the victim was still alive, he said, 'I don't want to die, bro. Don't kill me,'" Pinedo testified.
A family friend previously told News4 that Coca-Crespo was friendly and kind.
"For such a good kid, who would want to hurt him? You know, he's so soft-spoken," Liz Padilla said.
The 17-year-old will later be tried as an adult, Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said. The case will be heard by a grand jury July 5.
The teen's mother wiped away tears in court as she heard details of the attack. She declined to comment on the charges.
