The boy has been in a critical condition at the Royal Children's Hospital since police allege he and his associates drove a stolen car to a house in Taylors Hill in the early hours of October 5, doused two cars and themselves in petrol, and set the vehicles alight.
As flames took hold, the group allegedly tried to flee in the stolen car but crashed. Two of the youths then ran away, leaving the 13-year-old screaming in the street before he collapsed from burns to 90 per cent of his body. He has since undergone major skin graft surgery.
Friends told the ABC the boy had spent three months reeling from the alleged murder of his friend Darweish Mohamed, 15, who was allegedly stabbed to death outside a hospital in Craigieburn in July. Five people have been charged over Darweish's death, including three teenagers charged with murder. The boy kept a framed photo of Darweish on his desk at home.
"They were really close. Darweish and [the boy] were great friends," a friend of the pair said.
Friends of both teens said they have already lost one friend to violence that got out of hand, and they are praying they do not lose a second. They described the injured boy as not "a bad kid".
A children's court hearing has been told the group allegedly received their orders for the Taylors Hill attack on WhatsApp and were promised $3,000 for carrying it out. From his hospital bedside, the boy's family has pleaded with young people to avoid the lure of quick cash and notoriety among their peers.