Teen accused in fatal stabbing at playground

Published 7:09 pm Wednesday, April 17, 2019

GRAND RAPIDS — A 15-year-old boy is accused in the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old woman on the playground of a Grand Rapids elementary school.

The Itasca County Attorney’s Office said the juvenile, of Grand Rapids, is charged with second degree murder and sale of a controlled substance in a school zone, both felonies. Grand Rapids police said they believe the stabbing stemmed from a dispute over a drug deal.

Police said officers responded to a report of a stabbing Tuesday night at Murphy Elementary School, where they found the boy holding a knife. The woman was found unconscious on the ground next to him with a stab wound to her abdomen. She later died at a hospital.

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Prosecutors have filed a motion to have the suspect tried as an adult.