11-year-old hatched plot to kill girl flirting with her boyfriend, Florida cops say

Flirting turned potentially deadly at one Florida middle school, when a jealous girl hatched a plot to kidnap and kill her romantic rival, according to investigators.

The suspect — who is only 11 years old — faces felony charges after a search revealed a 5-inch knife, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

She was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Murdock Middle School in Port Charlotte, the sheriff’s office said. Port Charlotte is about 100 miles southeast of Tampa.

“A School Resource Officer ... was alerted to a notebook a student left behind in class, which detailed a plan to harm another student,” the sheriff’s office said.

“As the deputy was questioning (the owner), she confessed to the notebook being hers and stated that she planned on killing another female student due to that female flirting with (her) boyfriend.”

A 5-inch steak knife was discovered when the officer searched the girl’s backpack, officials said.

Charlotte County criminal investigators were then summoned to the school, and they learned the revenge plot had been shared with at least one other student on Jan. 29, officials said.

“A witness provided a sworn recorded statement, saying (the suspect) showed her the notes saying how she wanted to kidnap somebody and kill them and their family,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The witness stated (the intended victim) is flirting with everybody’s boyfriend and is causing a lot of trouble in school.”

The suspect confronted the intended victim at the school on Feb. 2, and a witness reported having to “physically restrain” the suspect, officials said.

Deputies arrested the girl and charged her with felony counts of bringing a weapon on school grounds and written threat to kill, officials said.

Murdock Middle School has about 650 students in grades six through eight, according to USNews.com.

This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 7:58 AM with the headline "11-year-old hatched plot to kill girl flirting with her boyfriend, Florida cops say."