Arizona 5th-graders plotted to murder boy in bathroom and make it look like suicide, police say

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna215096

Arizona 5th-graders plotted to murder boy in bathroom and make it look like suicide, police say​

One of the accused students, a girl, was allegedly in a "relationship" with the victim who had cheated on her, according to the Surprise Police Department.​

June 27, 2025 / Updated June 27, 2025
A group of fifth-grade students were arrested last fall over an alleged plot to murder a fellow student after being overheard discussing their plans, according to a newly released police report.

Four students at the Legacy Traditional School in Surprise, Arizona, were accused of planning to fatally stab a fellow fifth grade student and forge a suicide note to make it appear self-inflicted, according to the police report. A parent alerted the school of the plot on Oct. 1, 2024, after their child overheard the group talking about it.

The students and their parents were instructed to come back to the school the following morning for the school's investigation, per the report.

Through the investigation, it was found that one of the accused students, a girl, was allegedly in a "relationship" with the victim, a boy, who had cheated on her, according to the report. The girl hated him and wanted him dead, the report said.

Legacy Traditional School - West Surprise in Arizona.Google maps
During a lunch on Oct. 1, 2024, the students were involved in a conversation on how to "end him," the report said. According to interviews with the suspects, the plan involved allegedly luring the boy to a bathroom and stabbing him in the stomach.

They would wear gloves so as not to leave behind fingerprints and forge a suicide note, the report said.

One of the students interviewed said she had walked over while the group was discussing the plot and made jokes about it, according to the report. But the girl insisted that she was joking while the other students "started to get serious" and she began to back off as a result, the report said.

Another student told police that they were part of the conversation because they didn't want the others to think they were "weird and not wanting to do it," according to the report. This student said they didn't think the others would actually do it and that they didn't want to be a part of it.

A third student said conversations about allegedly plotting to kill the student made her uncomfortable, but she ultimately thought her fellow students were joking, according to the report. When she was assigned the role of guard, she realized "they were serious," she said.

The parent of the victim, who was identified in the report, told police that she wanted to "aid in prosecution of the students," who allegedly plotted to kill her son, the report said. The parent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The four students — two 10 year olds and two 11 year olds — were all arrested on one count of threatening and another count of disorderly conduct, per the report. The students were released into the custody of their parents and suspended, pending expulsion.

Three students and their families showed remorse and the students apologized, according to the report. A fourth student and her parent did not appear to be fazed and the student "would smile and laugh and made excuses for the actions," the report said.

In a statement, Legacy Traditional School said the safety and well-being of their students is their top priority and that the school immediately addressed the incident after learning about it.

"Due to federal student privacy laws, we cannot discuss individual student disciplinary matters," the statement read. "As outlined in the Legacy Student Code of Conduct, any student who makes or shares a threat may face disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion."

Parents of the suspected students did not immediately respond to NBC's requests for comment.

 

[CoolFool]

I'm inclined to believe there might be one sociopathic bad actor (sounds like the bitter ex girlfriend) and the rest were just kids thinking it was a joke at first (as mentioned in the article). All of the criminal behavior from the OP seems to originate from one overheard conversation.

The parents of the girl who was dumped need to do some serious parenting. There is no fucking way a fifth grader should be in a relationship so serious that she would want to kill over it. And now she has three of her friends in the criminal justice system because she has been taught that acting like a psycho bitch is acceptable. Wouldn't be surprised if it's a single mother home.

That's almost always how these young murderer stories go. There's always one actual batshit crazy person and the other(s) are just young and dumb kids who go along because they're afraid of the actual psycho or they didn't realize it was serious until they were in too deep. I don't believe for a second that there were 4 legitimate sociopaths all plotting a murder.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Why the hell are 5th graders in "relationships" with each other?

Probably amounts to “eating lunch together and holding hands sometimes”.

Then again, she jumped immediately to “murder my ex and make it look like a suicide”, so who the fuck knows?

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

What does he know about The Clinton foundation

 

[Artaius]

The implication of 5th graders cheating on each other is deeply concerning. On top of premeditated murder.

 

[Apustajan apustaja]

Why the hell are 5th graders in "relationships" with each other?

Typical take from some bioessentiallist to think that exchange of fluids has to happen for a relationship to form. If the girl says they were in a relationship, it is really misogynist of you to question her truth. Age is just a number & beleive women. It's 2025.

 

[the rat]

Why the hell are 5th graders in "relationships" with each other?

Because they see adults in relationships and go "i want to be just like the adults!". It's what kids do. Not that deep.

 

[Gorton Colu]

Probably amounts to “eating lunch together and holding hands sometimes”.

Then again, she jumped immediately to “murder my ex and make it look like a suicide”, so who the fuck knows?

Yeah, that is absolutely bizarre.

Typical take from some bioessentiallist to think that exchange of fluids has to happen for a relationship to form. If the girl says they were in a relationship, it is really misogynist of you to question her truth. Age is just a number & beleive women. It's 2025.

Because they see adults in relationships and go "i want to be just like the adults!". It's what kids do. Not that deep.

Bro, I was once a fifth grader. Nobody was dating nor in a relationship with a fellow student. This isn't a son or daughter saying they're going to marry their parent. This is scorned lover shit that I did not begin to see until 7th/8th grade thats not accounting for the premeditated murder element.

Fifth graders are what? 10 and 11? Freakish.

 

[A-Stump]

Imagine if it wasn’t even that he cheated on her, he just broke up with her.

How TF does a 5th grader even cheat on someone

WTF is in the water supply

 

[Cun75p4rkl35]

I'm inclined to believe there might be one sociopathic bad actor (sounds like the bitter ex girlfriend) and the rest were just kids thinking it was a joke at first (as mentioned in the article). All of the criminal behavior from the OP seems to originate from one overheard conversation.

The parents of the girl who was dumped need to do some serious parenting. There is no fucking way a fifth grader should be in a relationship so serious that she would want to kill over it. And now she has three of her friends in the criminal justice system because she has been taught that acting like a psycho bitch is acceptable. Wouldn't be surprised if it's a single mother home.

you think they're parenting her at all, you rube

 

[Made In Wales]

What have we learnt today, children?

'Use violence and threats to get whatever we want!'

Nature, nurture or just annuva spergy Nigger?

 

[COME ON OUT YOU RAPIST]

What does a ten year-old "cheating" on his girlfriend even entail? Pulling some other girl's hair or sharing his chips with her, or something?

I speak with a few school teachers and they often bring up how kids today are nothing like the kids of our day. Social media exposed them to too much. I believe it, since historical precedent shows us that kids exposed to the harshness of the world acclimate to it and become sociopaths.

 

[ZeCommissar]

Not that good of an actor.

Yeah so basically it's just a psychopathic family genetic trait. Another reason why not practicing eugenics is a grave mistake humanity is currently, and will keep paying for.

There is no "serious parenting" to be had for that child because the parent(s) are also psychopaths who probably either don't see the big deal, or would've done the exact same thing at their age. You might as well hold a piece of steak in front of an untrained dog and expect it not to try to bite at it. Mentally ill mother is a 100% certainty with the kid who didn't really show any remorse.

Bro, I was once a fifth grader. Nobody was dating nor in a relationship with a fellow student. This isn't a son or daughter saying they're going to marry their parent. This is scorned lover shit that I did not begin to see until 7th/8th grade thats not accounting for the premeditated murder element.

Fifth graders are what? 10 and 11? Freakish.

Unless you're 15 years old and therefore shouldn't be here, chances are you were probably a 5th grader in a much better time. When I was in 5th grade a minority of people were "dating" as in having proclaimed BFs/GFs; however admittedly, most of it didn't go beyond some weird advanced playing house. Now there was an even smaller minority in said minority that were dating "seriously". I know a kid that started dating this girl in 5th grade, and she was sucking his dick by 6th. This is not an anecdotal or "trust me bro" situation because he got the very bright idea to show me said picture on his phone at the time.

I already knew what that stuff was (unrestricted internet access! yay!) by then, and even I thought it was very fucking strange. Before you ask no neither of them live good lives today which I'm sure you're shocked to hear. Actually, none of the people who tried playing "adult" too early on became successful people with one exception. Who would've thought?

I speak with a few school teachers and they often bring up how kids today are nothing like the kids of our day. Social media exposed them to too much. I believe it, since historical precedent shows us that kids exposed to the harshness of the world acclimate to it and become sociopaths.

Yep. I mean come on guys think about it. Think about how bad unrestricted internet access was for the average Gen Z. Now look at what the internet has turned into compared to the mid-2000s through mid-2010s. Look at all the "music" out there with Cardi B and the like. Now you're going to sit here and act shocked that kids are trying to fuck each other before they even hit puberty? Have you not seen the shit that goes on in roblox?

 

[WonderWino]

So a group of girls conspire to murder a boy for the grand crime of "cheating" when they've not even been through puberty yet. They deserve life sentences, otherwise they'll all grow up to be abusers.

Abusers? If they're lucky. They're 10, at this rate they'll grow up to be full on violent psychopaths. I mean they already came up with an actual plot to murder a kid and frame it as suicide. Its a retarded plan that wouldn't have worked for a ton of reasons but thats not the point. If they're doing that shit now they're absolutely going to end up on the news in the next decade or so for murdering somebody in a similar retarded plan. Nobody who does this kind of shit at 10 grows up to be anything but a monster. Even dahmer wasn't this nuts growing up

Probably amounts to “eating lunch together and holding hands sometimes”.

Then again, she jumped immediately to “murder my ex and make it look like a suicide”, so who the fuck knows?

To be fair there were a few 5th graders in relationships in my class when I was a kid and a couple did get into major shit and got separated into different classes due to a sexual incident. Apparently they were those unfortunate kids who hit puberty a few years early. From what I heard they fucked off to a secluded part of the schoolyard at lunch for a handjob, had no idea how it worked or that the guy blows a load at the end and ended up with some suspicious stains on their clothes that the teacher quickly put two and two together on and realized what they were and quietly took them to go have a talk with the administration and I assume school counselors. and an incident a year earlier with one of the female students during the height of the pog craze involving blowing a guy for some rare pogs she wanted. So I can see some sketchy shit going on on the dl with them that could have led to her losing her shit and wanting to kill him. After all, getting that angry over a 'relationship' implies some hormonal changes might have been going on that she wasn't used to yet and had a part in her going all murdery and jealous. Doesn't excuse it by any means but it would explain a few things. Why anybody else went along with it though is a bit weird. I'd wonder if she told them something else was going to go down, like a beating or whatever and she was going to hide the knife but you'd think even a 10 year old would realize that could get bad real quick if they freaked out when she pulled the knife

But yeah, given how the parent doesn't come off as concerned as you'd think a parent should be this could be a case of psycho BPD bitch birthed and raised another psycho BPD bitch

 

[Squawking Macaw]

Reminds me of that Slenderman situation that happened some years back, where two girls almost stabbed another girl to death. They were only a bit older, 12 and 13 years old.

When I was in 5th grade a minority of people were "dating" as in having proclaimed BFs/GFs; however admittedly, most of it didn't go beyond some weird advanced playing house. Now there was an even smaller minority in said minority that were dating "seriously". I know a kid that started dating this girl in 5th grade, and she was sucking his dick by 6th. This is not an anecdotal or "trust me bro" situation because he got the very bright idea to show me said picture on his phone at the time.

Mild PL but my mother works at a primary school and she told me about this autistic boy who keeps trying to kiss other boys in the mouth. I've told her that's a major red flag for abuse and to keep an eye out on that kid, but she wholeheartedly believes that children can be "inherently gay" and thinks he's just a gay kid.

 

[The Ghost of Rarity]

As shocking and fucked up as it is even kids as young as this are capable of unimaginable cruelty, it brings to mind the cases of Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and James Venables. All three were only 10 years old at the time they committed their crimes.
Bell killed 2 little boys via strangulation and Thompson/Venables tortured and murdered one little boy. Either way it terrifies you to have to send your kids out into the world where you can’t be with them 24/7 to make sure they’re safe

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

All the kids who dated early were fucked up iirc

 

[Return of the Freaker]

Everyone surprised at just the "fifth graders in apparent serious relationships" part of this story on a site where the consequences of single moms and/or the Internet raising children, EPI, and Elsagate/Roblox/Discord degeneracy have been frequent topics within the last few years really haven't been paying attention.

I'll personally throw in that when I was in fifth grade in 02-03, it was in a much Blacker area but almost even between Blacks and Whites. The Black kids, unsurprisingly, knew things more often than the White kids going into middle school. The White kids that did were also either single parent/divorced family, trashy/sus background (in hindsight), or both. And I didn't start seeing relationships, my first included, until seventh grade. Along with rumors about "dude got caught with chick sucking his weiner in the bathroom" and the like.

 

[Disgruntled Pupper]

It's Mexicans. And yes, there's a good chance they were fucking. The first girl in school to give birth when I was young did so in October of 6th grade, but I heard of other girls who did so in 5th grade. Child pregnancy and plotting murder is just Su Cultura

 

[obsdj]

Three students and their families showed remorse and the students apologized, according to the report. A fourth student and her parent did not appear to be fazed and the student "would smile and laugh and made excuses for the actions," the report said.

Yeah, we’re definitely gonna see her on the news in seven or eight years when, she’s an adult and they’ll have to share her name and mugshot. She will definitely have picked up more skillz by then, too.

 

[Yamaha YM2612]

Schools are jails. It's not "news" when jail behavior takes place in them