DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida teen will be tried as an adult on charges that he beat his mother with a baseball bat and lit her on fire with a Molotov cocktail because she scolded him about sneaking out of the house and using social media.
James Edward Monroe faces charges including attempted murder and arson for the Jan. 22 attack.
Authorities say Monroe filled a bottle with alcohol, capped it with a rag and threw it into his mother's bedroom. The Sun Sentinel reports the bottle burst, causing glass and fire to fall on her. Leone said the 17-year-old then beat her.
Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes said Monroe doesn't have a criminal record and has a high GPA in school.
His mother was treated for burns and underwent emergency surgery.
