Man Who Threw Boy Off Mall of America Balcony Makes His Plea

Man Who Threw Boy Off Mall of America Balcony Makes His Plea A 24-year-old man who threw a 5-year-old boy off a third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Minneapolis last month has pleaded guilty to attempted premeditated first-degree murder. Emmanuel Aranda agreed to the deal as part of a plea agreement, Fox News reported. Prosecutors dropped an “aggravated circumstances” aspect to the charge, which could have meant an additional year in prison. When he is sentenced on June 3, he is expected to face 19 years in prison, CBS reported. She said the family of the victim supported the deal. The child was thrown about 40 feet and suffered head trauma and multiple broken bones. The boy’s family in April released a statement in which they said “prayers are working,” as the child recovered. They issued a statement this week saying they would not comment on court proceedings against Aranda. The victim is out of critical condition, and is conscious and alert, KTSP reported that it was told by a family spokesperson. The family hopes he will be home later this month or next. A GoFundMe page for the child has raised $1,023,000 as of Wednesday from almost 29,000 people. The page gives the child’s name as Landen. Aranda reportedly said he was angry over past rejections by women at the mall and this “caused him to lash out and be aggressive.” The complaint against Aranda said he admitted that he “had formed a plan to kill someone at the mall” the day before. Aranda said he “planned to kill an adult, because they usually stand near the balcony, but he chose the victim instead,” the complaint said. Aranda’s mother, Becky Aranda, said her son did not belong in prison. “We don’t really know what’s going on with him. He needs mental health, that’s what he needs,” she said. “He [doesn’t] need to be in jail, he’s really sick.”