Heroic eight-year-old boy beaten to death with a rock trying to protect his sister, 12, from teenage rapist



Fearless: An 8-year-old Virginia boy identified as Martin Cobb was beaten to death trying to defend his older sister from a rapist

A community in Richmond, Virginia, is reeling after an eight-year-old boy was beaten to death while trying to protect his 12-year-old sister from a rapist.

The boy, identified as Martin Cobb, was pronounced dead at the scene in the 200 block of Brandon Road Thursday night.

His sibling, whose name is not being released because of her age and the nature of the crime, was taken to a hospital.

Police have since apprehended the suspect, who turned out to be a black teenager. Initially, the victim described her assailant as a white man with scraggly facial hair, the local station WWBT reported.



Investigators later determined that the suspect had threatened to kill the 12-year-old girl if she provided police with accurate information about him.

The teenager is currently being evaluated at Tuckers Psychiatric Clinic in Richmond as police are preparing to charge him with murder and assault.

At around 6.30pm Thursday, the brother and sister were playing by the train tracks near their home when a stranger approached the 12-year-old girl, sexually assaulted her and slashed her face, the kids' aunt and stepfather told WRIC.



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Community shocked: The siblings were playing by the train tracks along Brandon Road in Richmond Thursday when a stranger came out of nowhere and attacked the 12-year-old girl

Too young: Martin's family say the little boy (pictured) tried to intervene in an effort to protect his big sister, at which point her assailant threw a rock at his head, killing him on the spot

When her 8-year-old brother tried to intervene, the teenage attacker allegedly turned on him, throwing a rock at his head. Martin died instantly.

‘To have the courage to defend his sister as if he was a grown man,’ neighbor Sudan Aunu told Richmond Times Dispatch. ‘His sister is alive today because of him.’

Police responded to the scene a short time later after someone saw the 12-year-old girl running naked and covered in blood out of the nearby woods.

The child was taken to a hospital to be treated for bruises and lacerations. Her family said she was very distraught by what happened.

As officers gathered evidence at the scene at dusk, shaken neighbors gathered in a circle for an impromptu prayer.



False information: The rape victim initially told police her attacker was a grown white man with a scraggly beard, but it was later revealed that he was a black teen

Heartbroken: The children's mother was seen at the crime scene in tears

Case closed: Police quickly located the teenage rape and murder suspect, who is expected to be charged with both crimes after completing a psychiatric evaluation

Both siblings attended Redd Elementary School, where grief counselors were brought in to help students and staff deal with the traumatic event.

Pastor Dr. Theodore Hughey, of the Abundant Life Church, said little Martin and his sister were inseparable and were a constant presence at the house of worship.

‘You saw one. The other was there. They were never apart,’ Hughey said.

Beloved: Those who knew Martin said he was a happy little boy not even two feet tall who always followed his sister around

Act of healing: Distraught neighbors gathered in a circle for a prayer after Martin's murder

Neighbor Merkeita Boyd described the 8-year-old Cobb a happy child who was beloved by everyone who knew him.