8-year-old charged with 1st degree murder
MagicRat
11-25-2008, 08:08 AM
Imho charging any child under 10 with almost anything is ridiculous. Children under 10 are entirely dependent on parents, teachers and other caregivers for guidance and supervision. (See story below)
Tragedies and accidents can occur.. However, if an 8 year old shoots his dad with his own gun, then the dad is entirely to blame for many reasons.... lack of supervision, unsafe gun storage and handling etc.
I can understand the police feel the need to do something, but charges, even if they are dropped, are not the answer.
So, in your opinion, when should children be held criminally responsible for their actions, 12,14,16?? Or does it depend on the circumstances?
NEW YORK – The 8-year-old Arizona boy accused of fatally shooting his father and another man is a "good little boy" who loved his dad, his mother said Monday.
"He had a very good relationship with his father," the boy's mother, Eryn Thomas, told ABC's "Good Morning America." "He did a lot with him. They did everything together. He loved his dad."
During the interview, Thomas listened to the videotape of the boy's police confession and said she heard a "scared little boy. That's what I hear. Someone who's very afraid of what's going on."
The unidentified child was charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 5 shooting deaths at his home in St. John's, Ariz.
Prosecutors on Friday sought to dismiss the charge stemming from the death of the boy's father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero, but did not explain why. Their motion, if granted, allows the refiling of charges. Attorneys would not comment because of a gag order.
The boy is also charged in the slaying of 39-year-old Tim Romans, his father's co-worker and housemate.
In the videotape of the confession, the boy sits in an oversized police chair, his feet dangling off the floor, and eventually admits that he pulled the trigger. As the video wraps up, he buries his head in his jacket.
"I'm going to go to juvie," the boy says after an officer asks what he's thinking.
Thomas said she's visited her son in the juvenile detention center, where on some visits they are separated by glass.
"He's in there by himself, definitely scared," she said, describing the boy as a "very small child" who is being housed separately from the older children.
Thomas lives in Mississippi. The boy had been living with his father and stepmother, who were married in September. Romero had primary custody of the 8-year-old.
Judge Michael Roca ruled that the boy could be released for 48 hours to spend Thanksgiving with his mother. Thomas said her son wanted to see the movie "Kung Fu Panda" and play games during his parole.
She described the boy as an average 8-year-old.
"He's very outgoing, he loves animals, he loves to ride his dirt bike, skateboarding, that sort of thing," she said.
Tragedies and accidents can occur.. However, if an 8 year old shoots his dad with his own gun, then the dad is entirely to blame for many reasons.... lack of supervision, unsafe gun storage and handling etc.
I can understand the police feel the need to do something, but charges, even if they are dropped, are not the answer.
So, in your opinion, when should children be held criminally responsible for their actions, 12,14,16?? Or does it depend on the circumstances?
NEW YORK – The 8-year-old Arizona boy accused of fatally shooting his father and another man is a "good little boy" who loved his dad, his mother said Monday.
"He had a very good relationship with his father," the boy's mother, Eryn Thomas, told ABC's "Good Morning America." "He did a lot with him. They did everything together. He loved his dad."
During the interview, Thomas listened to the videotape of the boy's police confession and said she heard a "scared little boy. That's what I hear. Someone who's very afraid of what's going on."
The unidentified child was charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 5 shooting deaths at his home in St. John's, Ariz.
Prosecutors on Friday sought to dismiss the charge stemming from the death of the boy's father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero, but did not explain why. Their motion, if granted, allows the refiling of charges. Attorneys would not comment because of a gag order.
The boy is also charged in the slaying of 39-year-old Tim Romans, his father's co-worker and housemate.
In the videotape of the confession, the boy sits in an oversized police chair, his feet dangling off the floor, and eventually admits that he pulled the trigger. As the video wraps up, he buries his head in his jacket.
"I'm going to go to juvie," the boy says after an officer asks what he's thinking.
Thomas said she's visited her son in the juvenile detention center, where on some visits they are separated by glass.
"He's in there by himself, definitely scared," she said, describing the boy as a "very small child" who is being housed separately from the older children.
Thomas lives in Mississippi. The boy had been living with his father and stepmother, who were married in September. Romero had primary custody of the 8-year-old.
Judge Michael Roca ruled that the boy could be released for 48 hours to spend Thanksgiving with his mother. Thomas said her son wanted to see the movie "Kung Fu Panda" and play games during his parole.
She described the boy as an average 8-year-old.
"He's very outgoing, he loves animals, he loves to ride his dirt bike, skateboarding, that sort of thing," she said.
ericn1300
11-25-2008, 07:14 PM
I'm always against charging a juvenile as an adult, why the heck do we have separate courts any ways?
But what I find most outrageous about this story is how did an eight year old kid get a hold of a loaded, unlocked firearm?
And doesn't first degree murder require premeditation? Did he tell his teachers or friends on the playground “I'm going home to kill my dad”
But what I find most outrageous about this story is how did an eight year old kid get a hold of a loaded, unlocked firearm?
And doesn't first degree murder require premeditation? Did he tell his teachers or friends on the playground “I'm going home to kill my dad”
BNaylor
11-26-2008, 12:32 AM
It might help to post some more detail on the story to see the big picture. See link below which has three pages.
8-Year-Old's Killing Spree Raises Questions About Why Children Murder (http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=6233064&page=1)
I think I'm going to reserve judgment until the psychologists do a thorough evaluation on this kid and the investigation is completed. This part below is quite chilling and the boy was trained on weapons which IMO was too early of age. Obviously he knew how to handle and use that .22 caliber rifle in a calculating manner but it doesn't necessarily mean prosecutors can prove it was an intentional act or premeditated.
Source: ABCNews
Nov. 12, 2008
Much of the hearing that took place in Arizona Monday focused on the psychological evaluation the boy would undergo. His attorney, Benjamin Brewer, sought permission to visit the crime scene -- a two-story home where police say the boy's father, Vincent Romero, a 29-year-old construction worker, and his co-worker and roommate, Timothy Romans, 39, were shot with a .22-caliber rifle Wednesday.
Brewer complained that police questioned the third-grader without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.
The boy was accompanied in court by his mother. His parents had recently divorced and Romero gained full custody of the boy and remarried.
Romero, investigators said at a press conference over the weekend before the gag order had been issued, was the first of the two victims. He was shot in the head and chest inside the house shortly after 5 p.m.
The boy stopped to reload between shots and before targeting Romans, who was also shot in the head and chest.
The boy was trained in using guns. He and his father reportedly hunted prairie dogs together, and that familiarity with weapons may have played a role in the killings, psychologists said.
"The fact that the boy stopped and reloaded only indicates that he is familiar with shooting. It also suggests he may have been in a pretty dire situation," Berill said. "We'll have to see what comes out later, but it is clear that your average 8-year-old would not have done this."
This case appears to be an exception and not the norm so it really doesn't indicate a major problem with American society and child murderers in general considering we are over 300 million in population now. Of concern but not worth blowing out of proportion.
According to FBI statistics, there were 62 cases between 1976 and 2005 in which children, aged 7 or 8 were arrested on murder charges. Of those, parents were the victims in just two cases.
"The number of homicides committed by children under 11 is infinitesimal. These are very rare events," said Paul Mones, the only lawyer in the country whose clients consist exclusively of children accused of killing their parents.
8-Year-Old's Killing Spree Raises Questions About Why Children Murder (http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=6233064&page=1)
I think I'm going to reserve judgment until the psychologists do a thorough evaluation on this kid and the investigation is completed. This part below is quite chilling and the boy was trained on weapons which IMO was too early of age. Obviously he knew how to handle and use that .22 caliber rifle in a calculating manner but it doesn't necessarily mean prosecutors can prove it was an intentional act or premeditated.
Source: ABCNews
Nov. 12, 2008
Much of the hearing that took place in Arizona Monday focused on the psychological evaluation the boy would undergo. His attorney, Benjamin Brewer, sought permission to visit the crime scene -- a two-story home where police say the boy's father, Vincent Romero, a 29-year-old construction worker, and his co-worker and roommate, Timothy Romans, 39, were shot with a .22-caliber rifle Wednesday.
Brewer complained that police questioned the third-grader without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.
The boy was accompanied in court by his mother. His parents had recently divorced and Romero gained full custody of the boy and remarried.
Romero, investigators said at a press conference over the weekend before the gag order had been issued, was the first of the two victims. He was shot in the head and chest inside the house shortly after 5 p.m.
The boy stopped to reload between shots and before targeting Romans, who was also shot in the head and chest.
The boy was trained in using guns. He and his father reportedly hunted prairie dogs together, and that familiarity with weapons may have played a role in the killings, psychologists said.
"The fact that the boy stopped and reloaded only indicates that he is familiar with shooting. It also suggests he may have been in a pretty dire situation," Berill said. "We'll have to see what comes out later, but it is clear that your average 8-year-old would not have done this."
This case appears to be an exception and not the norm so it really doesn't indicate a major problem with American society and child murderers in general considering we are over 300 million in population now. Of concern but not worth blowing out of proportion.
According to FBI statistics, there were 62 cases between 1976 and 2005 in which children, aged 7 or 8 were arrested on murder charges. Of those, parents were the victims in just two cases.
"The number of homicides committed by children under 11 is infinitesimal. These are very rare events," said Paul Mones, the only lawyer in the country whose clients consist exclusively of children accused of killing their parents.
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