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Boy expected to be charged as adult in gruesome killing

EVERETT, Wash. — His legs in shackles, Brad George kept his head down the entire time he was in a Snohomish County Juvenile Courtroom. He allegedly confessed to murdering 37 -year-old Georgina Latshaw, the woman who was his legal guardian for a decade.

When we met George Saturday, the day after Latshaw's murder, he described her as a loving mother no one would harm. "I don't know who could have done this," he said quietly.

Court documents show this was a far cry from his violent past. According to Child Protective Services, the 16 -year-old suffers from several disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. He once threatened Latshaw with a knife and had hallucinations of her as "a short clown with a blood filled mouth.'' He also made a clay sculpture of Latshaw with a severed head.

Last year at Bellevue's Overlake Specialty School for troubled youth George punched a wall, kicked a locker, then violently went after a staff member. He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and got six months probation, which ended two weeks ago. Now he is accused of beating Latshaw to death with a dumbbell, washing off her blood, staging the murder scene like it was a burglary, then going to school.

George is being held on $500,000 bail. Prosecutors have until Wednesday to charge him with murder.  If they do charge him, he will be automatically tried as an adult.

WARNING, GRAPHIC DETAILS:  Probable cause documents in case