14-year-old accused of killing 6-year-old appears in court
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ABC57 has chosen not to identify the suspect who is being charged as a juvenile.
During the hearing, the court set new dates for the suspect's status hearing, competency hearing and trial.
The defense said they are still waiting on the reports from two doctors who are conducting assessments.
The juvenile's competency hearing is scheduled for July 16. The trial is scheduled for August 11 and 12.
He will be in court for a status hearing on June 14.
A 14-year-old boy is facing a delinquency petition on charges that would be murder and child molestation if presented in adult court.
Court documents say the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit was alerted to the discovery of a Ross' body in New Carlisle around 8 p.m. on March 12 just a few hours after she was reported missing.
After Ross' body was found, a woman took the suspect to investigators and said he had seen the girl in the woods.
The 14-year-old was interviewed by investigators.
The teen said Ross had followed him into the woods and he wandered around and lost track of her.
He told investigators a shadow man had controlled his hands and made him strangle Ross, reports said.
He said he felt her soul/spirit leave her body, then checked to make sure she was dead, reports said.
The suspect ran to his apartment and washed blood off his hands, then took a shower, reports said.