'Baby K' pleads guilty to attempted murder for attack on Prince George's County school bus

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - ‘Baby K’, the teen accused of trying to kill a student on a Prince George's County school bus last May, has pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and firearms charges. 

Kaeden Holland, 16, entered the guilty plea on Thursday, just a week after a judge decided that he would be tried as an adult. 

Holland was arrested after he rushed onto a Prince George's County school bus in May 2023, put a gun to a student's head and pulled the trigger three times. The gun jammed and after hitting the victim in the head with the gun, Holland fled. 

Two others involved in the attempted shooting, who were 14 and 15 years old at the time, are also being tried as adults. 

Holland was captured by U.S. Marshals nearly a month after the attack and has been held at an adult detention facility since. It was later discovered that Holland was connected to the murder of a woman in D.C. 

RELATED: Will Baby K ever be tried in DC murder case?

The case has been a flashpoint for the county as violent crime has risen among youth. 

State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy has repeatedly vowed to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. After the judge decided Holland would be tried as an adult rather than having the case sent down to the juvenile courts, Braveboy, whose office advocated to keep him in adult court, said she wasn’t surprised by the judge's decision.  

"A young boy could’ve died on a school bus," she said. "We don’t want to have to prosecute these kids. We don’t want to have to ask that they be in adult court, but we also have to keep our community safe."

Prosecutors are recommending Holland receive 60 years in prison with all but 25 years suspended. 

Though Braveboy says the recommended sentence is appropriate, she said they also recognize the defendant is still a teenager with a future.

"That is why both the prosecution and defense that he serve his sentence at the Patuxent Special Institution. It is an adult institution. It is a maximum security but it involves therapy and counseling, as well as group counseling," she said.

As he attempted to keep Holland from being tried as an adult, Holland's attorney argued that even though he's accused of horrifying crimes, he is still just a child, albeit an impulsive child who makes poor decisions.

His attorney also spoke about the trauma Baby K has experienced — being shot when he was 14, having no father in his life, and having a friend murdered — and said the teenager's IQ is lower than 85 percent of adolescents his age, and he was diagnosed with several mental illnesses and learning disabilities.

RELATED: State’s Attorney's office advocated for Baby K case to remain in adult court

But the State highlighted issues the teen has been involved with, starting in first grade and said that all he did in school through ninth grade was fight. Since his capture last May, prosecutors say he's been the aggressor in three fights at the adult facility where he's being held.

Prosecutors say the attack shocked and traumatized the community and that Holland and his accomplices have to be held fully accountable. 

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Braveboy: State’s Attorney's office advocated for Baby K case to remain in adult court

Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy said that her office advocated that 16-year-old Kaden Holland, also known as Baby K, should stand trail as an adult on attempted murder charges after being accused of trying to kill a student on a school bus.

"This isn’t a drill rap or trap music video. This is real life and life has consequences," said Braveboy. "When individuals commit crimes that endanger and put so many lives at risk, as in this case, my office has no choice but to hold them fully accountable and that is what we have done in this case. I want to thank Sherrie Waldrup and Assistant State’s Attorney, Dora Myles-Moore for their hard work in this case."

Martin Diggs, president of ACE-AFSCME Local 2250, a union that represents educational support staff, said at the plea hearing that this case highlights concerns shared by school staff and workers. He’s been in contact with the bus driver who witnessed the attempted shooting.

"This is a monumental problem that will take monumental decisions," Diggs said. "One of the things that needs to be looked at is there is a student-wide handbook and we need to take a deep dive into these recommendations and rules that have been made up and make sure that the students are held accountable and if need be, do we need to hold the parents accountable as well?" 

Holland's trial was set to begin on March 18. His sentencing hearing is now scheduled for May 17 at 1:30 p.m.