11-year-old American is youngest person in world to face life without parole

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crayolastereo wrote: »

I don't think 11 year olds understand the finality of death. When my brother was 11 he still believed in Santa. If he killed the person who was replacing him in the life of the only person that mattered to him, I would understand.

Yes, they do understand the finality of death. Even a 3 year old understands that.

He is a selfish little b0ll0x, even if he was being replaced then it still doesn't justify him killing someone. Don't tell me he doesn't know that. He did and if he didn't then he is either born a sociopath or parented so badly that he was out of control.

Zero symapthy. At 11 you have reason. FFS you have the power of reason at 7/8.

jd007

crayolastereo wrote: »

I don't think thats fair. He was 11. At eleven you don't understand life and death.

You can't be for real? :eek:

bradlente

Being able to pick up a gun with the week's shoppin dosn't help matters.

BASHIR

I find it sad that an eleven year old child can get his hands on a gun, yes i do feel that the boy knew what he was doing. IMO he deserves the the life sentence. Without parole is harsh though 40 years time or when his sentence is up, will this person have changed I'd like to think so. Does he deserve another chance then well I honestly dont know.

Gun laws need so much reform in the states its crazy.

SharpshooterTom

What about the death penalty??

Lumen

Er, he's not been convicted yet.

As you were.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Deserves every day of that sentence tbh. If he's able to do what he did at 11 I shudder to think what he'll be capable of when he's older. We're better off without people like that in the world and the sooner we get them out of society the better.

MagicMarker

Lumen wrote: »

Er, he's not been convicted yet.

As you were.

You might want to read up on the story. It's pretty much a clear cut case.

Lumen

MagicMarker wrote: »

You might want to read up on the story. It's pretty much a clear cut case.

You're right. Never mind the trial, let's just kill him now.

BASHIR

THFC wrote: »

Deserves every day of that sentence tbh. If he's able to do what he did at 11 I shudder to think what he'll be capable of when he's older. We're better off without people like that in the world and the sooner we get them out of society the better.

I see where your coming from, I used to think like that too, and to a certain extent I'd agree with you, but I seen a documentary recently where violent criminals were given a dog from an animal shelter to raise and teach to function as pets. It was amazing to see the effects the responsibility and goals had on the inmates. It had a drastic changing on there behavior and attitude. More of these are popping up all over prisons in America and you would be surprised of the effectiveness of them.

http://www.coyotecommunications.com/dogs/prisondogs.html

Laisurg

biko wrote: »

If he ever gets out he will have been raised in prison and not very good at functioning in civil society.
A life wasted, actually three lives wasted.

This is a very good point, however it still doesn't mean that they should lock him away forever even if he wouldn't function well if he got out.

MagicMarker

Lumen wrote: »

You're right. Never mind the trial, let's just kill him now.

facepalm

Magic Pips

bradlente wrote: »

Being able to pick up a gun with the week's shoppin dosn't help matters.

He was bought a "youth" shotgun for christmas, his father testified about his prowess with a gun.

http://www.news.com.au/world/boy-11-charged-with-killing-dads-fiancee/story-e6frfkyi-1225698582017

Tordelback

Somewhere along the line I missed where we all decided prison was no longer about being a deterrent to crime, and a means of rehabilitation of criminals. It's just about punishment, is it? Retribution? While I fully agree that an 11 year old should be expected to know life from death, and to an extent right from wrong, I'd argue strongly that his morality and personality isn't yet fully formed - was yours, at 11? Did you never do things aged 11 that you would never do now, like shoplifting, throwing stones, swearing at your parents, graffiti? These aren't remotely the same thing as murder, and I'm not suggesting that they are, but they are surely indicate the moral immaturity that all kids have.

It seems fair to me that a premeditated double murder should receive a life sentence, even if the perpetrator is 11. However, to deny that child the opportunity to be reassessed when he has become an adult, when he can fully appreciate what he has done, to have no chance of rehabilitation and parole... well that seems distinctly unjust.

UglyBolloxFace

crayolastereo wrote: »

This woman and her baby were replacing him in the eyes of his father.

That, my friend, suggests motive and premeditation....thus, the sentence should stand.

iPlop

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

That, my friend, suggests motive and premeditation....thus, the sentence should stand.

i agree ,Nice username bro:pac:

UglyBolloxFace

Sink The Banana wrote: »

i agree ,Nice username bro:pac:

Why thank you sir, I would have to say the same to you...evokes images of a 70s porno.

sdanseo

biko wrote: »

If he ever gets out he will have been raised in prison and not very good at functioning in civil society.
A life wasted, actually three lives wasted.

This.

might as well give him the death penalty, because tbh he will NEVER integrate into society or have ANY hope of rehabilitation if the US justice system has its way. And arguably, it's the US gun system and gun mentality that probably gave rise to the incident in the first place.

Father should be imprisoned too for spawning a son capable of murder - he has to have done something seriously wrong in terms of how he parented the kid.

Madam

Not sure about this, I did think of myself when I was eleven and tbh I don't think it would have entered my head to shoot someone (that came much later when I reached puberty;))but these are different times and kids grow up more quickly nowaday(or so it seems)and are a lot more knowing that I ever was:(

coffee_cake

I blame video games. And society.

This.

might as well give him the death penalty, because tbh he will NEVER integrate into society or have ANY hope of rehabilitation if the US justice system has its way. And arguably, it's the US gun system and gun mentality that probably gave rise to the incident in the first place.

I'm totally against the death penalty, but in this case I think it might be a mercy & the better thing to do. Still though, I guess he should get a chance in jail - he could still turn it into something useful.

AckwelFoley

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

.

Epic user name.

iPlop

bluewolf wrote: »

I blame video games. And society.

Manhunt 2 on the Wii

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReL_H_IozsQ

BASHIR

sdonn wrote: »

This.

might as well give him the death penalty, because tbh he will NEVER integrate into society or have ANY hope of rehabilitation if the US justice system has its way./

How can you say this that child is young. yes deserves his sentence, but you or noone can see into the future, and you dont know anyones capabilities to change. By the time that child serves his sentence how are you to know what kind of person they will be.

goose2005

Ghandee wrote: »

The little shiite killed a pregnant woman, AND a nearly full term unborn baby ffs! No matter how you look at it, he murdered two people in cold blood!

Unless you're pro-abortion - or does the foetus become a human when someone else kills him/her?

coffee_cake

goose2005 wrote: »

Unless you're pro-abortion - or does the foetus become a human when someone else kills him/her?

This is not the place for a fcukin' abortion debate

AckwelFoley

[Troll/] ffs this is only a child, ok he shot a woman in a bed, bu he shouldnt be punished, if he pissed on her - yes, ban him from watching tv and let him go to bed without supper, but murder no - i also think that those children that killed Jamie Bolger shouldnt have been sent to jail, they were only children, they shouldn't be punished for anything they do- who cares about the victims of crime!!! The fcuking victim is dead - we need to care about the perpetrators [/troll]

hondasam

I don't think he would grow up to be a very nice adult if he is like this as a child. I don't agree with life in prison for him either, he needs more than that.

superfish

some people here being very harsh yes his crime was vile, but hes 11 years old still a child ffs yes he needs to be taught what he did was wrong but life imprisonment before his life has even begun ? do you seriously think this 11 year old boy will have the same mind frame at say 21 ? its the parents who need sorting out letting a child get his hands on a gun im sure half of you or your kids could do the same if given a gun at 11 hes a kid

Stinicker

They should execute him, that would set a precident, He is not a child as far as I'm concerned, kids these days are riding at from age twelve onwards and doing drugs etc. and have as much street savvy & knowledge as kids had when they reached 18, a quarter decade ago.

He made a conscious decision to shoot and kill and should thus be executed and this excuse he is young is no excuse. Execute the little scumbag and save society a person who knows he can kill and get away with it.

Awaits bleeding heart liberal rant

Catari Jaguar

The USA fails another child...

Children lash out when they run out of coping skills. This child was obviously very distressed, angered, frustrated. This was an ill conceived plan and even though he knew guns = death he probably didn't see it as infinite. The same way a lot of young people contemplate suicide as a solution but don't realise they'll never get that second chance.

What I want to know is how this was over looked by the Dad, by teachers at school etc. No counselling given to the child. If he was perceived as a threat the victim why was he given access to a gun? I feel terrible for the girl and her baby, it was a story that stuck with me and immediately popped into my mind when I read this thread title. A needless death that could have been prevented with the right interventions.

It's adults that are to blame, children need to be taught and directed and cared for.

Amazing how a country so black and white, so full of Christian values and harsh punishments has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Seriously, what is locking this kid up going to achieve??

Something is not working.