Surprise police report reveals disturbing details in murder plot involving 5th graders
Story by Micaela Marshall, Casey Torres• 10h•
3 min read
Exterior shot of Legacy Traditional School - West Surprise.© Arizona's Family
SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — A newly released police report reveals disturbing details in a murder plot involving 5th-grade students in Surprise.
A group of 10 and 11-year-old girls is accused of devising a plan to kill a boy at school. Documents said the friends devised the plan during lunch and recess on Oct. 1, 2024.
KOLD Tucson /Sierra Vista
Multiple 5th grade girls arrested for murder plot in Surprise
“Just end him” was the goal, according to the police report, which said the motive may be about a recent break-up and cheating allegations.
According to the police report, four 5th-grade students at Legacy Traditional School’s West Surprise campus planned to lure a classmate to the charter school’s outside bathroom and stab him in the stomach.
Each girl had a role to play to get away with it. One would bring the knife, another would forge a suicide note to make it seem like he took his own life, and someone would act as a lookout while the other carried out the stabbing.
Arizona's Family
Surprise police report reveals disturbing details in murder plot involving 5th graders
To avoid fingerprints on the murder weapon, they would wear gloves.
Legacy administrators worked with the school resource officer to investigate when students who overheard the murder plot came forward.
The next day, their backpacks were searched, and the suspects were questioned individually with their parents present.
All four children were arrested on charges of threatening and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
The police report said three students showed remorse, but the fourth would smile and laugh while making excuses for their actions.
Travis Webb, a Licensed Clinical Therapist, said a few factors could give children trouble realizing how serious their actions can be.
“Their brains are underdeveloped at 10, 11 years old. The female brain isn’t even quite half developed the part of the brain that regulates emotion. That kind of talks sense into this. It’s early 20s, before the female brain is finished developing,” said Webb.
On top of that, Webb explained kids are exposed to more violence at a young age than years before because of social media.
“2025 is different than 1995. It’s different than 1975,” said Webb. “They don’t really come up with this on their own. They don’t think violently. They certainly don’t think about gloves and fingerprints and suicide notes.”
He said parents should not give kids unrestricted access to the internet and assume they’ll be okay.
“You have to be a little more aware and a little more vigilant in talking to your kids about what they’re seeing on the Internet and really helping them,” said Webb.
He suggests parents approach their kids and ask if they’ve had thoughts of hurting themselves or others. He said not to make a child feel as if they’ll get into trouble if they say yes.
Instead, he said to really listen to them. If they do have harmful thoughts, he recommends seeking professional help.
When asked for an update on the case, Surprise PD said the department “has not shared and does not plan to share any further details about this incident.”
The school also did not respond to requests for an interview, but the police report said the suspects were released to their parents and were suspended pending expulsion at the time of the arrests.
Arizona’s Family contacted family members of all four suspects. They declined to comment
