Cousins aged 10 and 12 charged with murder of 3-year-old girl while adults went gambling

Two cousins aged just 10 and 12 have been charged with murder for allegedly beating a 3-year-old girl to death — while their parents and guardians left eight kids home alone to go gambling.

The two preteen boys, who have not been identified because of their ages, are accused of beating Blessing Buckles until she suffered a fatal brain bleed — with a 4-year-old girl also found badly beaten, according to WBRZ.

A child called 911 on Feb. 12 to report that Buckles was not breathing while no adults were home, with deputies having to knock on doors because the young caller did not know the exact address in Baton Rouge, the report said.

Buckles’ mother, Dineshia Yates, soon arrived home with the 10-year-old’s mother, Terica Scott, who is also the aunt of the 12-year-old suspect — admitting that they had left for a casino, according to court documents obtained by WAFB.

They left eight children home alone — including a baby aged just 11 months, the documents said of the 26-year-old women charged with principal to second-degree murder.

The eldest was the 12-year-old murder suspect — even though he was known to be violent against the younger kids, according to charging documents cited by the outlets.

Yates told cops that she and her kids had been staying with Scott for two weeks before the deadly beating.

Scott said she knew her nephew had a history of violence against other children, and Yates said she had seen bruises on one of her other daughters after she was left alone with the unidentified boy — but she “ignored her children’s pleas for help,” charging documents say.

Buckles was found unresponsive and suffered a brain bleed and bruising and cuts to her face and body, likely caused by blunt force trauma, according to WDSU. She succumbed to her injuries on Valentine’s Day.

“A case like this is devastating,” East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said in a statement.

“My heart breaks for this child lost too soon, and I pray for the others involved.”

The two preteens have been charged with battery and second-degree murder, and were booked in East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center.

Scott and Yates, both 26, were also arrested on principal to simple battery and principal to second-degree murder charges.

Both women also have previous criminal records.

Yates was previously arrested for stealing $20 worth of clothes from a Walmart, and for stealing an iPad, two guns and business checks from a home, according to WBRZ.

She also reportedly threw a brick through the windshield of another woman’s car in 2020, and is currently wanted on two active warrants from undisclosed cases in Baker, Louisiana,

Scott, meanwhile, allegedly set a car on fire next to someone’s home and was charged with murder in 2021 for allegedly shooting a woman to death, but was never indicted by a grand jury.

Witnesses claimed she tampered with security cameras to avoid detection, WBRZ previously reported.

As of Monday afternoon, both Scott and Yates remained in the East Baton Rouge Parish Jail under a $40,000 bond each, according to AL.com.