A Florida teenager -- who had previously
been investigated for "alleged violent tendencies" -- watched jihadist
videos and read the Koran "to give him courage" before stabbing a
13-year-old boy to death and seriously injuring two others at a birthday
sleepover Monday, cops said.
Corey Johnson, 17, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted
first-degree murder after police said he confessed to the assault at the
13th birthday sleepover party at a BallenIsles Country Club home, the
Palm Beach Post reported.
Jupiter Police, Palm Beach County School District police and the FBI
previously received “intelligence gathering” on Johnson that prompted an
investigation into his “alleged violent tendencies,” the Palm Beach Post
reported.
"Corey Johnson is out there with a knife. He's a murderer. That's all I
know."
- Neighbor
Johnson reportedly told police he woke up at 4 a.m. Monday at Kyle
Bancroft’s home and had an urge to kill Kyle’s mother, Elaine Simon;
Kyle’s brother, 13-year-old Dane Bancroft; and Dane’s friend,
13-year-old Jovanni Sierra. The three victims were each asleep at the
time, the Post reported.
"In his statement, Johnson advised he stabbed the victims because of his
Muslim faith," the affidavit stated.
Johnson and Kyle Bancroft allegedly watched violent jihadist videos the
night before the 17-year-old carried out the deadly stabbing. Using a
knife he brought to the home, Johnson stabbed Sierra multiple times
before slitting his throat.
Simon, apparently hearing Sierra moaning in pain, began walking upstairs
around 6 a.m. when Johnson allegedly lunged at her. Police say he
stabbed her at least a dozen times before she fell down the stairs. Dane
was stabbed 32 times while attempting to help his mother, according to
the Palm Beach Post.
“He’s a hero," the boy's father said during a phone interview with the
Post. “He saved his mom."
Sierra was pronounced dead at the scene. Simon and Dane were taken to
the hospital, where Simon remains in good condition as of Tuesday.
Kyle Bancroft and Johnson were not harmed in the incident.
Police were alerted after Simon ran to a neighbor begging to call 911.
"She rang my bell, she’s bleeding," the neighbor said later. "Corey
Johnson is out there with a knife. He’s a murderer. That’s all I know.
They're trying to help the kid the kids filled with blood."
Johnson was taken into custody about 8 a.m. after briefly barricading
himself in a room.
He later told authorities he was upset Sierra, who turned 13 on Monday,
called celebrities “gods” because it went against his Muslim faith.
Johnson also said Dane made fun of his Islamic faith.
The teen told police he read the Koran before going to the sleepover "to
give him courage to carry out his intentions,” according to an
affidavit.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office received information prior to the
stabbings that Johnson reached out to ISIS online and expressed his
desire to join the terror group.
Law enforcement officials at the time investigated Johnson by tracking
his social media accounts and movements and interviewing his family. The
teen was also being investigated for several threats that prompted
evacuations at a British school in October 2016.
Authorities had planned to file charges against Johnson for
international school threats a week before the sleepover rampage,
according to the report.
Johnson went to William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, but
recently withdrew, according to the report. Dane Bancroft and Jovanni
Sierra were attending Watson B. Duncan Middle School.
Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox
News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam |
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