12-year-old charged, accused of stabbing 59-year-old woman in her garage, HCSO says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A 12-year-old boy is in custody at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center and charged with aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing a 59-year-old woman Saturday afternoon.

In surveillance video provided to ABC13 by a neighbor, two boys could be seen with their bikes talking to the victim at 2:07 p.m. at a house in the 17200 block of April Valley Court in northwest Harris County.

A neighbor from next door is then seen telling the boys to leave. But about 10 minutes later, the footage shows the boys returning on their bikes with gloves on their hands. The 12-year-old then takes something out of his pants, charges at the woman inside the garage, and then runs away with the 7-year-old boy.

"Never did any of us think that it was going to be kids from the neighborhood that came in and attacked her," the neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said. "If they have the ability to go and do that to an older woman who clearly has mental issues after our neighbor down the road tells them, 'Hey, leave her alone.' It's a concern."

Shortly after the attack, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said a family member stopped by and discovered the victim inside her garage. Investigators told ABC13 that her loved ones often check up on her since she's dealing with some mental health issues.

"Her brother came and checked up on her. He checks on her daily. At that point, he just came at the right time. He opened the door and saw that she was stabbed," said Sergio Torres, an investigator with HCSO.

The woman was transported to the hospital via Life Flight and underwent surgery. Officials said she was in critical condition. The victim's nephew told ABC13 that as of Sunday morning, his aunt was still alive, and their family was monitoring her condition.

The 12-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. HCSO said the 7-year-old will not be charged with anything. In Texas, the minimum age to be culpable by law is 10 years old. The parents have not been charged, but CPS has been notified.

For more on this story, follow Rosie Nguyen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.