10-year-old boy charged in killing of 3-year-old boy

WOODBRIDGE, N.J. -- A 10-year-old boy was charged with murder Thursday for allegedly luring a 3-year-old boy out of a library, beating him with a baseball bat, sexually assaulting him and dumping him in a ditch.

The charges were filed a day after Amir Beeks was attacked and hours after he died. The 10-year-old, who was not identified by authorities, was charged with murder, felony murder, kidnapping, illegal weapons possession and aggravated sexual assault.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said the 10-year-old cannot be tried as an adult. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years on the murder charge alone.

Kaplan said the motive is unclear for the Wednesday afternoon attack at the Colonia Library in Woodbridge.

The older boy did not know Amir, who was at the library with relatives, Kaplan said. He said witnesses at the library led police to the suspect.

Police officers searching for Amir found him face down in a drainage ditch near the library. He was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead Thursday morning.

Kaplan said the exact cause of death has not yet been determined.

The 10-year-old appeared before a Family Court judge Thursday and was being held in a youth detention center.