15-Year-Old Boy Charged with Killing Unhoused Person He Had ‘Sought Out’: Police

Thomas James Niarhos has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, third-degree murder and more

A 15-year-old Pennsylvania boy faces a first-degree murder charge after authorities allege he stole his father’s gun and used it to kill an unhoused man.

Thomas James Niarhos, of Stowe, was heard by witnesses allegedly accusing 39-year-old Jeremiah Waylon Hawkins of sexually assaulting someone close to him before shooting him Wednesday near railroad tracks in Pottstown, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by PEOPLE.

Authorities said in the complaint that surveillance video showed Niarhos had “sought out” Hawkins, who swung a tire at the suspect in an attempt to knock the gun out of his hand.

However, according to the complaint, Niarhos shot Hawkins once in the head, causing him to fall to the ground. The teen allegedly fired the gun a second time and dropped the weapon. As the teen walked away from the scene, he was detained by witnesses and eventually taken into custody by police, authorities said.

According to the criminal complaint, Niarhos told first responders tending to Hawkins at the scene that "he's a rapist, don't be sorry for him" and "he raped a 15-year-old girl, don't help him." The suspect also allegedly told police that an unhoused person believed to be Hawkins was responsible for "raping" someone close to him behind the dumpsters and he was in the area looking for "Jay," the complaint states.

Hawkins, who was described by authorities as an unhoused person, was pronounced dead at Pottstown Hospital, the complaint states. An autopsy determined he died of a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.

Investigators recovered a .40 Smith & Wesson semi-automatic firearm at the scene, which they later learned belonged to Niarhos’ father, authorities said.

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Niarhos has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possessing a firearm by a minor, and other related criminal offenses, prosecutors said.

The teen was arraigned Wednesday and sent to the Montgomery County Youth Center, where he is being held without bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 30.

It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

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