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Thomas McClellan: Child Killer

A 5-year-old Michigan girl had just asked her stepfather for something to eat when he allegedly "snapped," stabbed her to death and set her lifeless body on fire to cover up the gruesome crime, officials said Thursday. Thomas McClellan became enraged when stepdaughter Luna Younger refused to leave his room after asking him for some food on Nov. 1, Ingham County Det. Chuck Buckland told a judge in Mason, according to multiple local reports. The 25-year-old stepfather told investigators he wrestled Younger to the ground, sat on her hips and stabbed her multiple times in the chest. He then covered the girl's dead body with blankets, poured vodka on the pile and set it on fire, Buckland said. Firefighters were called as flames spread through the ground-level apartment McLellan shared with his wife, Victoria McClellan, who was at work at the time.

McClellan, who does not have a criminal history, has been charged with murder, first-degree child abuse and first-degree arson in Younger's death and could face up to life in prison if convicted. Younger's obituary described her as a "happy kindergartener" who "loved school." "Recess, math and lunch were the favorite parts of her day," the obit reads. "This sweet angel will be missed forever by her family and friends."