16-year-old Joshua Cooper from Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with murder on Friday after allegedly confessing to killing a 13-year-old girl to a friend on Instagram. According to the Bensalem Police Department, law enforcement officers received a 911 call around 4 PM that day about a possible murder, with the caller detailing how her daughter was in a video chat with the teen, who had openly admitted to taking someone’s life.
During the call, the boy reportedly flipped his phone camera over to show the dead body as the caller recalled that while only the feet and legs were visible, there was a pool of blood surrounding the victim, prompting them to immediately call the cops. Joshua requested that his friend help him hide the body, at which point he had already been paid a visit by police at his house at the Ridge Trailer Park.
RELATED: Pennsylvania State Lawmaker Tony DeLuca Re-Elected Despite His Death Last Month
The victim was found on the bathroom floor with an apparent gunshot wound to the chest. Joshua had attempted to flee the scene when police officials showed up at the property, but he was captured and arrested minutes later near the trailer park. He’s been charged as an adult on charges including tampering with evidence, criminal homicide, and possessing instruments of crime.
Police are still trying to determine what led to the murder of the juvenile victim and what relation she had with the defendant. Joshua has been denied bail until his court hearing; he’ll remain at a juvenile detention center in the meantime.
“There were also indications that substantial steps were taken to clean up the crime scene.”