...who murdered his grandparents with a shotgun in an execution fashion, then burned down their house, be faced as an adult in court? Basically this article. He was young when he did this, like many other violent juvenile criminals, so, I believe, he got the minimal sentence of just 30 years. But should the young age of someone should be a considerable factor in the judgement of such a violent, ruthless crime?

I'm writing a paper on this so I would like to see some quick ideas. So, I believe that, even at the age of 12, he knew the weight of his actions and the consequences. I don't believe that the criminal mentality (and the intention of killing) of a young person is truly different than that of a grown-up murderer. Thoughts?

He probably deserves harsher punishment. Honestly though, I think the punishment for crimes should be much harsher. We'd have less robbers if the punishment for robbery was getting your hand cut off.

He should be faced as an idiot in court and as a corpse after that.

That kid is sick.

It's still a crime, regardless of age, regardless of drug influence.

Tsk...Tsk...Tsk...
Kids these days...

I personally thought teenagers were from thirteen till nineteen. Seems a bit stupid to call him a teenager, he's just giving us a bad name.

Oh, and I think he should be burned on a stake

I assume rehabilitation practices and therapy sessions is out of the question for him?

I don't know. I'm thinking about that matter.

There's more to this than you're letting on. This isn't simply about age, it's also about mental health. Frankly with both factors I don't think he should be tried the same way as a mentally stable adult.

No he should not be tried as an adult. Why should he be? Just because he particularly ruthless? Trying as an adult is for people that are close to being adults, such as 16/17 etc. not 12 year olds.

It's funny how you all so quick to disregard the anti-depressants thing. Don't you think the drug had this effect on him? Why would he kill his parents out of nowhere?

problem with that is if you truly didn't do the crime, you'd get screwed by the system. and you wouldn't be able to...;)

It's all cause of that rap music.

Raoul, that is completely illogical. Millions of people take Zoloft, and I have yet to hear of it causing someone to go psycho. The fact is that was just another lame attempt to try and shift the blame to someone/something else. It's just like parents blmaing music and video games for their children's misbehavior.

The reason he should be tried as an adult is because he knew what he was doing was wrong. How do I know that? He burned his grandparents house down in order to try and hide the fact he killed them, that's why. Hell, he even lied to police and said his grandparents were killed by the fire.

Here's a question for you: Why should he receive a lesser punishment? Does his age matter, does it make the crime he commited any less horrific?

He was sane enough to do the crime and (try) to cover it up. I'd say he's sane enough to die.

That kid committed these grevious of crimes. Read that again. He committed crimes. That means he is to be punished for these crimes. I seriously doubt that he is mentally unstable enough to shoot grandparents, burn their house, then lie about it to authorities so that he can cover his own ***. Try him as an adult.

Yeah people do take Zoloft all the time, but I've never heard of a 12-year old taking an anti-depressant... for christs sake what in the hell could a 12 year old be depressed about. They dont have the daily stress of jobs and bills and complaining tax payers when school levy's fail... something doesn't add up here

Has anyone here read Starship Troopers?

http://www.magma.ca/~yeti/troopers.html

Oh, it's obvious you've never been to my school. I'm willing to bet that probably a third of the students in my junior high are depressed and take them anit-depressants. Some kids go as far as to cut themselves. Honestly, most of my friends have taken them. Even my cousin who is 14 takes 'em. I just don't understand why kids my age need them. I think it's stupid.

You've got to be kidding me! I agree with you, it is stupid. These kids think they have it so bad or something? They need a good *** beating by their parents is what they need. My ex-girl friends little sister was like that, she would cut herself. It was all for attention. Had nothing to do with being depressed.

I say if your depressed at 12, then I feel bad for you when your out on your own. Cause you have alot of growing up to do.

Exactly.

Exactly. I took zolof, and I haven't killed my parents then burned the house down.

Yet.

Clinical depression isn't about having things to be depressed about, that's standard depression.

Clinical depression is when the various behavioural chemicals, notably those that cause happyness are produced in abnormal quantities making it very difficult if not impossible to be happy.

Normal depression can probably be fixed with therapy, drugs are more suited to clinical depression.

Well, Zoloft has been linked to suicidal thoughts. And people may have different reaction to this medication. But to murder and not being able to distinguish right from wrong is hard to prove in this case.

This is probably the most interactive thread of the day.

Right, right. But when I was in junior high I didn't know ANYONE who took any sort of antidepressants. Not family, not friends. No one in the same age as me. But now, all these kids have take it? I mean, it doesn't add up to me.

Yes, and most of the kids who take such drugs probably don't need them, they're just prescribed because they do work and are cheaper than therapy.

However, this doesn't mean that there aren't people with a genuine need for the drugs.

Oh don't get me wrong some of them may need it. However, I'm just not big on poping pills to solve these "problems".. I'd rather do it for pleasure.. i mean...

i would have had the kid appear in court just to give the appearance of a fair legal system then after the trial straight to the castration room then off to live the rest of his life in a dark room alone with the same crappy song playing on an endless loop

And the song was called "Badgers Badgers Badgers"...

I just thought I should note that I have been suicidal since I was eight, and depressive since years before that.

I'm nineteen now, and just recently I was in the emergency room for another suicide attempt. No one has ever proscribed me drugs -- I've gone to therapy for years, and though my general outlook has improved, I still get seriously depressed quite often.

Oh well.

People don't give up on your Lord_Virus, doesn't that mean anything to you? I would be touched to see how much effort they're doing to help you

Oxy -- I am, but reason seems to go out the window when I become seriously depressed. Logic is still there, but without proper reason, it becomes kinda twisted and tends to support suicide. Therefore, I somehow end up thinking that people will be better off without me, or something like that.

SouthCarolina.respect = 0;

What a joke of a law.

As for the kid, due to the severity of the crimes, I think he should have been tried as an adult.

I did a report on this for school yesterday... O_o

Blame video games and set him free!

Should have been tried as adult.

Jail him until he's an adult and then have a trial to decide if he can be given some amount of years or a death penalty.

I would actually see that as more brutal than just being punished right away, the waiting to find out what's going to happen with his adult life would probably be more harsh.

You've already fallen for it though. That was the part of the defense. That doesn't mean it was true.

I managed to catch some of this case on TV. The whole 12 year old killing his grandparents with a shot gun really caught my attention. I caught the part where they were reading his statement after being arrested. He was mad at his grandparents because they sent him to his room for getting in trouble at school. It was all pretty clear. The fact that he would commit such a violent crime over such a petty incident does indicate, to me, that he's got problems.

However, that does not mean he shouldn't be held responsible for the crimes he committed. Should he get help? Yes. Should he not go to prsion? No. Murder is a serious offense, and when you get right down to it, he committed two murders. If you are going to commit adult crimes, you should be prepared to face adult punishment.

They are calling him a teenager becaue he is now 15, BTW[/edit]

Waste of good meat

Ohh...What stunning logic. "It didn't happen to me, so that undoubtably means it couldn't ever happen to anyone"

Brain chemistry is a funny thing. It's different from person to person. This kid is clearly insane,