The 10-year-old boy charged as an adult in the murder of a 90-year-old woman may have been intimidated into a confession by police, according to the boy's attorney.

Tristin Kurilla reportedly confessed to killing Helen Novak at his grandfather's house in Scranton, Pa. on Saturday, though his attorney Bernard Brown told the Citizens' Voice that it appears at least "some intimidation" was used by police during the boy's interrogation. "You can see through the writing of the affidavit, they seem to be double backing and re-interviewing Tristin or his family," he said.

Prosecutors have elected to charge the preadolescent as an adult because Pennsylvania law bars them from charging minors with homicide.

Kurilla's mother, Martha Virbitsky, apparently waived the boy's right to an attorney during his first two interviews with police—but according to a former public defender in Luzerne County who spoke with the Voice, a parent has no right to waive their child's right to an attorney.

From the Citizens' Voice:

Kurilla's mother, Martha Virbitsky,took him to the state police barracks in Honesdale about four hours after the attack and told Trooper John Decker that the boy admitted to choking and punching Novak, according to an arrest affidavit.

Virbitsky asked Decker to speak to Kurilla. Decker repeatedly advised the mother that the boy could face criminal charges and told her that she could have an attorney present, but she insisted she wanted him to speak to the child alone, according to the affidavit. When the trooper asked Kurilla what happened, he said, "I killed that lady." He then described how he choked and punched her, the affidavit says.

Decker then interviewed Kurilla's grandfather, who also said the boy admitted hitting Novak. Decker then advised Virbitsky he wanted to get a second statement from Kurilla. This time she went in the room with the boy, but she again declined to have an attorney present. The boy provided similar statement admitting to the assault, the affidavit says.

Because Kurilla is charged with homicide as an adult, he's being held in Wayne County Correction Facility. When law enforcement agents searched his cell on Wednesday, the Voice reports they discovered a note reading "How to escape." Guards also found three notes he'd written to family members, telling them that the prison food was good and that he loved them.

For the time being, though, Kurilla will remain in jail. His attorney, Brown, withdrew a request for bond on Wednesday because of the boy's family's concern about his pending psych evaluation, their own work situation, and the feelings of the victim's family. Brown told the Voice he'll ask the court to move the boy to a juvenile facility on Friday.

"We're going to move this as quick as possible," he said. "Nobody wants this child in that facility longer than he has to be. And, we also want to get to the bottom of this, we want to get some answers. And we want to get it right."