MEDAN — A court in Medan, Indonesia, found 12-year-old AL guilty of stabbing her mother 26 times with a kitchen knife and sentenced her to five months of counseling and rehabilitative treatment.

The crime occurred on December 10, 2025. AL took a kitchen knife used for cutting meat from the family kitchen. Before the attack, AL stripped down to her underwear, stating she removed her clothes to avoid getting blood on them, an action she said she had seen on a television show.

The victim, Faizah Soraya, was a 42-year-old housewife. She was not killed immediately and requested a glass of water and an ambulance before she died. AL's 16-year-old sister and father were present in the home during the attack and tried to take the knife from AL and call for help. Faizah Soraya died before medical assistance arrived.

AL faced charges of murder under Indonesia's criminal code and the Juvenile Justice Law, with authorities classifying her as a "child in conflict with the law." The prosecution had sought a sentence of eight months of rehabilitation and counseling. The judge cited AL's admission of guilt, remorse, and good behavior during the proceedings as mitigating factors. The court also noted the mother's behavior toward AL and her sister was a factor in the crime.

Family members and police investigators reported that Faizah Soraya frequently beat her children, sometimes for hours with a belt, and repeatedly threatened them with a knife. During the trial, it was claimed that AL played violent games on Roblox and was influenced by the Detective Conan anime series, which features an episode depicting a murder where a character removes clothes to avoid blood stains.

In Indonesia, the age of criminal responsibility is 12 years old. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 are subject to the Juvenile Justice Law, which emphasizes "restorative justice," focusing on support rather than incarceration. AL's counseling will take place at a social rehabilitation safe house operated by the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs. She has resided at this safe house since the murder, undergoing counseling, rehabilitation, and continuing her education, and has not been held in a juvenile detention center or prison.