Students charged with murder conspiracy at nearby middle school

By Linda Cicoira

A 13-year-old student at Berlin Intermediate School in nearby Worcester County, Md., has been accused of bringing a fixed-blade kitchen knife to school Wednesday and conspiring to kill a classmate, school division and county officials said in a press conference Friday.

The suspect and her alleged 12-year-old accomplice were charged with conspiring to commit first-degree murder and related offenses. Authorities said both students admitted to their involvement in the plot.

The 13-year-old allegedly had an argument with the intended victim and threatened her with a picture of the knife on Snapchat. The suspect brought the knife to school and asked the accomplice to hide it along a wood line so she could use it during recess, authorities said. Before the knife could be hidden, several students overheard the conversation and “bravely” reported it to school staff, who in turn called the police about the threat.

The names of the suspects and the intended victim are being withheld because of their ages. Authorities said there is no further threat to any Worcester County schools.

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