MIAMI – A 16-year-old boy whose mother's decomposing body was found in their home admits to choking her unconscious and then stabbing her to death, Miami-Dade police said.
Kit Darrant, 16, faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Renette Emile, 35.
Miami-Dade police officers found Emile's decomposing body in the apartment she shared with Darrant and her 3-year-old son after her estranged boyfriend called police, concerned about her welfare.
Police said her body was already decomposing, and that the two boys were apparently still living in the apartment with the body for more than a week.
According to the arrest affidavit, Darrant confessed to police that he killed his mother after they got into an argument March 27. Miami-Dade police said that after the argument, Darrant went to his bedroom to plan how to kill his mother. He decided to strangle her, police said.
Darrant's 3-year-old brother was asleep in a bedroom when Darrant went to his mother's bedroom and choked her unconscious, Miami-Dade police said.
When he realized she was still alive, Darrant got a knife and stabbed her in the back of the neck, according to the arrest affidavit. Despite the choking and the stabbing, police said, Emile was still alive, so Darrant stabbed her several more times and then left her for dead, Miami-Dade police said.
Darrant admitted to choking his mother and then stabbing her 14 times, police said.
After killing his mother, Miami-Dade police said, Darrant cleaned the knife, removed his clothes and showered. The next morning, he cleaned his mother's room and wrapped her body in bed sheets, then sprinkled laundry detergent and deodorants on her body to hide the smell of decomposition, according to the arrest affidavit.
The 16-year-old also admitted to hosting a party at the home four days after his mother's death, while her body was still in the apartment, police said.
Emile's sister-in-law, Marie Altidor, said she could smell the body.
"I knew there was a dead body in there," she said.
"I saw it was a person laying on the floor and covered up with some sheets and it smelled really bad," Altidor added. "I knew that was her."
Altidor also said when family members confronted Darrant as police took him away, he said nothing.
A family member is caring for the 3-year-old boy.