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Today in History: James Bulger murdered by two 10-year-old boys

2/12/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On 12 February 1993, in Bootle, England, two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, abducted and murdered two-year-old James Bulger. They led him away from the New Strand Shopping Centre, and his body was discovered two days later on a railway line. This case marked them as the youngest convicted murderers in modern English history.

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Story summary

On 12 February 1993, in Bootle, England, two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, abducted and murdered two-year-old James Bulger. They led him away from the New Strand Shopping Centre, and his body was discovered two days later on a railway line. This case marked them as the youngest convicted murderers in modern English history.