An eight-year-old boy hailed as the ‘bravest boy in America’ has died after stepping in to protect his mother from her boyfriend during a violent attack
Leland “Lee” Arnett, 8, suffered fatal head injuries after he was allegedly hit with a baseball bat inside his family home in De Soto, Illinois, on May 13.
Police were called to the residence at about 11pm following reports of a domestic disturbance. When officers arrived, they found Lee’s mother, Deborah Snider, unresponsive.
Relatives say Lee later became an organ donor, calling it his “final act of heroism”.
Lee was found with severe head trauma. He and Snider were both flown to a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, but Lee died four days later.
Speaking to The Journal Star, Lee’s great-aunt Anne Donlan Andrew said the child stepped into danger to protect his mother.
“This happened because Lee was trying to protect his mother,” she said. “That takes a lot to stand up for your mom in a violent situation like that, and he did… I wish he wouldn’t have, but he did.”
Marcus Moultrie, 36, faces two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in relation to the incident.
He was arrested on May 14 on several attempted murder charges, which prosecutors later increased after Lee died.
According to court filings, the alleged acts involved “exceptionally brutal or heinous behaviour indicative of wanton cruelty.”
Moultrie has entered a not guilty plea and remains detained ahead of a trial scheduled for 6 July.
Family members have also indicated the violence may have been ongoing. Andrew said Snider had previously tried to leave Moultrie, but the family struggled to find a safe way out.
“A safe place to go is really what they needed at the time, and it’s just tough that they didn’t have that,” she said, adding that living in a “very small town” reduced their options.
Snider is still hospitalised and could not attend her son’s funeral. Relatives said she learned Lee had died while she was still recovering.
Snider’s sister, Abigayle, has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses and medical bills. The family also hopes to move Snider back to Nebraska, where Lee was buried alongside his father and other relatives.
In his obituary, Lee was remembered as a child who “carried joy with him and shared it freely with everyone around him,” and as someone who “stood up for others and defended anyone who needed kindness or care.”
De Soto Grade School has paid tribute by creating keychains featuring Lee and his favourite animal—a frog—with funds going to support his family.
His classmates also assembled a paper chain filled with messages honouring his life.