Man pleads GUILTY to throwing five-year-old boy from balcony at Mall of America and faces 19 years in prison after telling police he went there 'looking for someone to kill'
- Emmanuel Aranda, 24, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted premeditated first-degree murder in April 12 attack on Landen Hoffman
- Hoffman suffered head trauma and broken bones in the fall, but survived
- Aranda told police he was angry at being rejected by women at the mall and was 'looking for someone to kill' when he went there
- His mother told reporters her son suffers from mental health problems and does not belong in prison
- Becky Aranda said in an interview that a few days before attack, Emmanuel showed up at his sister's home looking 'like a zombie' and punched her
A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty this morning to throwing five-year-old Landen Hoffman from a third-floor balcony at Mall of America last month and faces 19 years in prison.
Emmanuel Aranda on Tuesday accepted responsibility for attempted premeditated first-degree murder in the April 12 attack that left Landen with head trauma and multiple broken bones but survived.
Aranda, 24, will be sentenced on June 3. His plea deal calls for prosecutors to drop an aggravated-circumstances component to the charge that could have meant an additional year in prison.
Prosecutor Cheri Ann Townsend said the Hoffman family supports the plea agreement.
Plea deal: Emmanuel Aranda, 24 (left), pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted premeditated first-degree murder in the April 12 mall attack on five-year-old Landen Hoffman
Emergency personnel are seen tending to Landen after he fell 40 feet and landed on the stone floor at Mall of America last month
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Police arrested Aranda moments after the attack as he waited to board a light-rail train at the mall, and said he had quickly admitted to the attack.
A criminal complaint filed soon after the attack said Aranda told police he was angry at being rejected by women at the mall and was 'looking for someone to kill' when he went there.
Aranda allegedly said he 'planned to kill an adult, because they usually stand near the balcony, but he chose the victim instead.'
He had two past convictions for assaults at the mall, both in 2015, and had been banned from the property at one point.
Court records showed that Aranda had been ordered to undergo psychological evaluation or treatment after those assaults, and his attorney Paul Sellers said Aranda had been in mental health court.
Aranda, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, spoke quietly during Tuesday's hearing while giving yes-or-no answers to questions aimed at making sure he understood what he was admitting.
When asked if he knew that throwing the boy over the balcony could have killed him, the defendant replied, 'Yes.'
Following the brief hearing, Aranda's mother, Becky, told reporters her son does not belong in prison because he has been battling mental health problems since childhood and requires treatment, reported Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
This sketch shows Aranda in court on April 16. his mother said her son has mental health issues and does not belong in prison
She also said the family were 'really shocked' by the random attack on the boy.
'We had no idea that his illness would drive him to doing this,' Becky Aranda said of her son.
In a recent interview with Minnesota Public Radio, the defendant's mother revealed that a few nights before the April 12 incident, Emmanuel showed up at his sister's home, punched her in the face and left.
'She said he just was like a zombie,' the mom recounted. 'She looked into his eyes, it's like he didn't have any soul... it was like another force that had taken over.'
Hoffman plunged almost 40 feet and suffered head trauma and multiple broken bones.
His family released a statement in late April saying he was alert and no longer in critical condition. On Monday, the family said he continues to heal and requested 'prayers and privacy.'
A fundraising page has topped $1million to cover the young boy's medical costs.
