A teenager who was responsible for the tragic death of a nine-year-old boy has been given a life sentence in prison due to a tendency to react strongly to minor issues. Daniel Cameron, who was 15 at the time of the incident, was hired to watch over Hunter MacIntosh on a particular day but abandoned his duties early, wandering around town instead.
Later that evening, Cameron disturbingly messaged friends on Snapchat and Facebook about killing someone. Upon the victim’s mother’s return home, she discovered her son lifeless with a knife wound in their residence in Otautau, New Zealand.
Forensic examinations revealed multiple severe knife injuries on the boy’s body, indicating a swift and violent attack during the babysitting period. Cameron, admitting guilt in March, was swiftly apprehended after midnight at his residence.
During the court proceedings, the victim’s mother emotionally expressed enduring pain from the loss. The sentencing judge, Justice Rachel Dunningham, determined that Cameron’s actions constituted a severe crime and sentenced him to life imprisonment, noting his impulsive nature and admitting to anger issues.
Hunter’s mother, Amy King, deeply affected by the tragedy, mourned the loss of her son and expressed regret for leaving him under Cameron’s care that fateful evening. The court imposed a minimum non-parole period of 11 years for Cameron’s life sentence, with his motivations for the crime remaining unclear.
Justice Dunningham emphasized the severity of the attack on a defenseless child and the breach of trust that occurred in a supposed safe environment. Cameron’s past experiences of bullying were mentioned, but the motive behind his violent outburst remains elusive even after professional assessments of his mental state.
