Comments on: Free the eight-year-old alleged killer

By: helen perala

helen perala — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:13:17 +0000

Maybe he's telling little white lies and didn't even do it maybehrs protecting the real criminal Where has dear old mommy Bren thru all this I have a eight year old I can't see him committi g murder but he lies all the time to protect his friends family I catch him in the act!! Trying tp protect his friends cousins He lied about his cousin giving hitting him so his cousin wouldn't get in trouble Think about it

By: mom2

mom2 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 03:37:19 +0000

I think that the boy should not be charged as an adult for crying out loud. On the other hand two people are dead.I believe they should investigate this carefully;maybe the boy did not do it.Maybe like someone said he came upon this.If he did though I think he should pay his sentence in probation. He does need help if he is sick or was abused. Sad to say there are also psychopaths and they do start in childhood too so that's why there should be monitering all round. I can't imagine a boy his age in jail.It makes me feel sick.How sad this whole thing is.

By: Erin

Erin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:57:01 +0000

This is a great posting - I hope that we can find the courage in this country to address the "real issues" and the compassion to free the eight-year-old alleged killer.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:22:19 +0000

I have issues with the child being tried as an adult. The youngest criminal that is locked up in the State of Texas was 15. I'm not allowed to give a name or even the charges, but it was a few years ago that he was put in prison. Eight year old children are going through great changes, especially with the steriods and other chemicals in todays foods children are maturing at a much younger age. Their bodies develop before their minds. The biggest problem I see is that this country has taken the right of parents to discipline their children away from the parents. Be upset if you want, but time outs don't work on many children. I see so many BRATS that do what ever they want and disrespect their parents without any worry of punishment. The other issue that this case is bringing up is gun control. I've had access to firearms since I was six years old. I was taught at a young age about the function, but especially about the respect of a weapon and what it was capable of. I truly feel that no one should put an age on who can use a fire arm. If a parent feels that a child is responsible enough to use one. Even still, all of them should be shown what kind of damage a gun can cause when it is used in the wrong manner. It might make them see reallity instead of what they see in the video games that they play in this day and age.

By: legal man

legal man — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:55:31 +0000

from my experience these kids are taught how to get around the legal system real good. as it say's an angry "child" can and will do as he/she wish's. if the parent disciplines them they end up in the court being tried as a child abuser. I am not saying this is the case here but think twice before you think an 8 year old couldn't do this.

By: Shoulda..coulda..woulda..

Shoulda..coulda..woulda.. — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:55:48 +0000

Are you people serious? You make it seem as if an 8 year old has no understanding of anything he does. Granted he should have had an adult during his "interrogation" and he may have said anything just to get the police to stop questioning him, but that doesn't negate the fact that he did willfully shoot two men in cold-blood. Children nowadays are more aware of their actions and of those around them moreso than when we were kids.

This kid should be sent to Juvie, then jail when he turns 18.

By: TJ Lincoln

TJ Lincoln — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:24:55 +0000

"Arizona’s lax gun laws do not require adults to keep their guns away from children, or even to install trigger locks. As long as we allow angry or confused kids access to guns, we will have gun deaths. Are we so afraid to address the real issue that we’d prosecute a little boy?"

Lisa, you are confusing the issue. Don't cloud it with your anti-gun rhetoric. First, even if Arizona had gun laws requiring the guns be locked and stored appropriately its apparent the father didn't have common sense enough to do so. So he was irresponsible. Second, the father was irresponsible for not teaching his son to NEVER touch a firearm unless supervised by an adult. Children that are actively parented and taught correctly from the beginning rarely commit such offenses.
So I agree with your premise that we need to address the "real issue"...dead beat irresponsible parents. While police conduct, the age of accountability, and gun laws may be issues of debate they are mearly tangents in this case.

By: Chelly

Chelly — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:06:01 +0000

Has anyone checked to see if this child was being abused by his father and the fathers friend? Something just doesn't seem right about this case. I can't imagine an 8 year old deciding he is going to kill his father and friend. What is the reason behind it? This child needs help and incarceration is not the answer. The police messed up by not reading the child his rights or having the proper representation (an adult, mom, someone from his family) present when they were interrogating him. Now they are mad because they screwed up and might not be able to use his so called "confession" in court.

By: wolfgang

wolfgang — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:41:45 +0000

Thanks KatMcGuire,KS for the replay, I don´t thing if a kid do this in Germany, it wouldn't be without any consequences, I think it would be supervised by a psychiatrist for a long time, it would be proved if the adult (in this case, his mom) can handle the boy, if not the boy would be send to a intact family (I think that´s nearly the same as the foster care in Your country), by the way I would say my respect to all families who do that. In Germany The so called "youth welfare office" (I thing that´s not the correct translation) will have a look on the boy also until he is 18. The intention still is, not to punish but rehabilitation and to make the kid know that what it has done, is wrong. The kid should grow up as normal as possible, cause kids specially of this young age need a parent. I for myself don´t think that punishment, like years in prison (or juvenile detention) will do its job, withdraw of love is the worst thing ever you can do to a kid. Kid´s of this age had sometimes feeling´s and emotion´s that must come out, they need love, some advise, -playing with other kid´s of the same age, to get a normal human being. A juvenile detention has strict rules, the bad thing is, all visit between the parent and child are non contact. -I live with a woman who has two boy´s, 11 and 13 now, I know them more than four years, and the boy´s still need sometimes mom´s arm´s, so who do that job in "juvi" ? specially a 8 year old boy who maybe traumatized himself ? , I´m sure he will get nightmares sooner or later, the bad pictures will come back (-for lifetime), and I know where I talk from. I lost my younger brother when he was 18 during a suicide, if you saw that, you never forget the pictures they are all coming back sometimes.
I still believe there is a reason, if the boy does this really and spanking a boy so often can cause in this, but I´m not sure if this is all, what was happened. I don´t think the boy is a killer or murder.

By: Irene

Irene — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:18:33 +0000

Has anybody seen this child's room? If you have not, it was a mess (like the rest of the house). It does not leave the impression of somebody that would keep track on paper. It would take an organized person to be consistent in that way. You don't expect to find a diary from a girl that has lack of enthusiasm, and is to lazy to clean her room? And where is this list we are hearing about? They have not found it yet. It was not yet disclosed as evidence to the court. Does it even exist?