“Mom I killed him.” A 13-year-old boy sent this message after harming his five-year-old half-brother, Benjamin. The incident occurred last Monday at eight in the evening in the town of Argentina in the Santa Fe province of Argentina, located about 35 kilometers south of Rosario alongside a dry streambed.
Roxana, the mother, had stepped out to attend night classes when she received the alarming text. She immediately alerted Benjamin’s father, who hurried home to assess the situation. Upon arrival, he found his son dead, with 11 stab wounds evident to the back and neck, according to the report from the Criminal Investigation Division. The sister was found lying in bed, unconnected to the unfolding tragedy.
Initial inquiries point to the possibility that the teenager may have suffered a recent trauma or an impulsive crisis. There is no record of medication at the time, but the child had been under psychiatric care, and the mother had repeatedly warned authorities about mental health concerns.
“I never imagined my daughter could do something like this. I sought help in every way.” Roxana recounted to TN media, noting that she had taken the child to several specialists—psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists. They conducted brief interviews and physical examinations, sometimes lasting only five to ten minutes. Evaluations were repeated, yet she felt that the signs of something abnormal at home were overlooked.
“I had an imaginary friend”
Confronted with her daughter’s unsettling behavior, the mother describes attempts to ensure the safety of everyone in the home, including moments when she felt she must keep the siblings apart. On the day of the incident, the father, who worked as a traffic inspector, received an urgent call from work and had to leave the home.
The mother recounted what she found when she returned: “My daughter initially refused to open the door. I can’t describe what I saw inside. My son lay on the floor, face down and drenched in blood. My daughter sat nearby in a chair, seemingly composed.”
Roxana believes the girl may have heard voices, saying, “He told me recently that he had an imaginary friend. I told him, ‘You’re thirteen now, you’re grown up,’ yet he insisted on talking to it and acting on those impulses.”
The presiding judge ordered that the case file remain confidential for now. The girl, considered incompetent due to age, was moved to a health facility in Rosario to receive further assessment for a possible mental disorder. The proceedings continue under careful supervision as investigators seek a fuller understanding of the factors involved in this tragic event. The authorities have stated that additional psychological and psychiatric evaluations will help determine the necessary steps for the girl’s care and safety, as well as any legal determinations that may follow.