12-year-old murder suspect to be arraigned Friday

A 12-year-old boy will be arraigned Friday on charges he killed his five-week-old cousin outside a Marietta store.

On Wednesday, Cobb County Juvenile Court Judge A. Gregory Poole found enough probable cause to move forward with the case, said Michele Marchant-Wellmon, director of Cobb’s juvenile court services.

Investigators say a Kennesaw mother left her five-week-old daughter in the car with the 12-year-old boy while she ran into the Target on Dallas Highway in Marietta Saturday night.

The 22-year-old mother came out and found the baby unresponsive, Cobb County Police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said.

Paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital, where she was taken off life support Sunday night and pronounced dead, police said.

On Tuesday, police arrested the boy on charges of murder and cruelty to children. He remains at the Cobb County Juvenile Detention Center.

The boy, of Tampa, will be charged as a juvenile.

An autopsy determined the baby died from blunt force trauma to the head, Pierce said. Police said they couldn’t discuss the motive or manner of death.

Reached Thursday, the boy’s lawyer, Bert W. Cohen, said he had no comment.

In addition to the arraignment, Poole will hear from media on Friday to determine if the public can attend the boy’s court proceedings, Marchant-Wellmon said.

Investigators have decided not to charge the mother at this time, Pierce said.

Police declined to identify the baby, the 12-year-old or the mother.