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In reply to the discussion: the worst is true: MA teacher raped before being murdered by 14 year old student [View all]morningfog
(18,115 posts)319. Life with possibility of parole is probably what he should get.
It is probably what he will get, too.
My point through this entire thread is that none of us know what caused him to do what he did. Some say it was "EVIL" which is just stupid and meaningless. People don't commit these kinds of crimes if all is well in their cognitive development. Usually, it is some combination of abuse or mistreatment at a young age that physically alters the brain development. Or, another physiological defect in their brain.
Without knowing what went wrong with him, none of us are in a position to proclaim that he is unable to ever be rehabilitated. It is without foundation for anyone to say that. After diagnosis and treatment attempts, it is possible that whatever is wrong is something that cannot be treated. But, we simply don't know that at this point.
Life with the possibility of parole would allow for the state to begin to regularly check in 15-20 years from now to see how he is progressing.
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the worst is true: MA teacher raped before being murdered by 14 year old student [View all]
cali
Nov 2013
OP
I agree. I do thing though that there should be some mechanism that ensures that he is not
cali
Nov 2013
#2
The frontal lobe of the brain hasn't come close to fully developing yet at that stage.
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#35
I remember that age for me, I certainly had no impulses such as that, neither did
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#111
He must have because something prompted him to not go through with it.
Nuclear Unicorn
Nov 2013
#184
No, because my 14 year old brain jumped to something else after I couldn't get that gun open.
newcriminal
Nov 2013
#209
Dont children who get charged as juvenile automatically get out at 18 - 22?
DragonBorn
Nov 2013
#255
+1 This entire thread is an eye opener for me. I actually thought that only conservative mindset,
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#308
Your post is an abject reminder of why justice is dispensed in a court of law and not by
rug
Nov 2013
#347
You don't get to decide. Massachusetts law says that premeditated, felony murderers ARE tried as
MADem
Nov 2013
#246
You are right I don't get to decide, doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
newcriminal
Nov 2013
#251
yeah because having a republican a cop or a rapist-murderer living next door are all equally
arely staircase
Nov 2013
#342
Me either...I just don't get where all this conscienceless young hate is coming from. n/t
whathehell
Nov 2013
#207
I often wonder if it's an imitation of the hatred they are surrounded by today, violence in
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#213
Yep, I don't buy into it that he's too young to know what he was doing/did. If, that were the case,
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#327
I am beginning to wonder if European countries have this sort of thing in a very big way?
CTyankee
Nov 2013
#9
You still seem to be under the delusion that the type of crime somehow indicates a level of...
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#60
no, it's that this exact type of crime makes it too risky to bet on rehabilitation.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#82
My nephew was a completely different person over the course of those years.
woodsprite
Nov 2013
#149
you have yet to provide one iota of scientific evidence backing your claims
magical thyme
Nov 2013
#309
Forty years of experience and you fail to understand basic human brain development.
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#217
I think today was the first time somebody tried to call my point into question..
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#231
Wow, that was rude. I don't think the poster missed anything--and you are assuming facts not in
MADem
Nov 2013
#283
What an interesting justification for treating children as adults in the justice system.
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#216
In other words, you lack a rebuttal and want to shame people into not responding.
Nuclear Unicorn
Nov 2013
#219
So, what other democratically enacted laws would you see circumvented by "studies"? n/t
Nuclear Unicorn
Nov 2013
#230
I don't think anyone posting here on this thread would feel comfortable with that particular
MADem
Nov 2013
#244
Agreed. He certainly displayed consciousness of guilt when he staged the body.
Nuclear Unicorn
Nov 2013
#263
it has to do with how you feel about incarceration for the public's safety.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#269
you won't get a reply because its not about the statitics or theoricals on his brain function,
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#268
You are probably right but like I said, I wouldn't want that "statistic" living next door to me.
MADem
Nov 2013
#277
Then we need to change the system so that a few juvenile offenders can get longer sentences.
Yo_Mama
Nov 2013
#80
I am interested in learning that there is no chance he will become a repeat offender.
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#17
I bet he was fed junk food from an early age. Are you saying mentally ill people were all abused?
uppityperson
Nov 2013
#30
Don't lock them in a cage, but drug them and lock them in a ward? Not sure why those
uppityperson
Nov 2013
#67
I think that raping and murdering for entertainment is evil. You are free to disagree. nt
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#45
No, what's grotesquely stupid is attempting to treat a 14 year old child as an adult.
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#61
When you use phrases like 'no more evil than' you are in fact downplaying it. nt
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#93
you equated this brutal rape and murder -"It's no more evil" than pretending a 14 year old child
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#139
that is because you view it as revenge, I view it as a wise move for public safety.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#148
He had a boxcutter on him, that he got from the art room, and a change of clothes.
MADem
Nov 2013
#147
He has to be sick because mentally healthy people do not rape, murder. So by definition
uppityperson
Nov 2013
#74
He planned the kidnapping/rape/torture/murder of his teacher, then went home, changed
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#199
see. we have a whole new form of therapy for these bottomfeeders. feed them the worst of the
seabeyond
Nov 2013
#204
for real, i would like for them to go thru his computer at home, or his phone and get back to us.
seabeyond
Nov 2013
#210
It's exactly the same level of rationality as you continue to try and use to justify...
eqfan592
Nov 2013
#63
14 is old enough to know what murder is and to know fundamental right and wrong.
magical thyme
Nov 2013
#29
What "extenuating circumstances" would in any way excuse his rape and murder of this woman?
uppityperson
Nov 2013
#44
that kid put a shot gun in both his grand parents' mouths, shot them repeatedly and THEN burned the
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#81
he had a history of suicidal behaviour and acting out which is why he was on meds.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#126
No; homicidal behavior as well. But of course, I'm just part of the Tin-Foil Hat Brigade.
WinkyDink
Nov 2013
#331
I agree, Magical Thyme, let's see how many are willing to take him in their home.
Thinkingabout
Nov 2013
#53
Thinking back to high school, for example, some students wore their scariness ...
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#175
Yes, of course I read the article. What it says is there is a predisposition to behavior
RKP5637
Nov 2013
#272
WTF does "evil" mean? He has a demon soul? Lucifer is his daddy? Spirits infest and control him?
NoOneMan
Nov 2013
#279
A bit more than a "moment"--and for a teacher who was trying to help him pass a test
MADem
Nov 2013
#151
His victim was just out of college, still burdened with loans, working at the job of her dreams, so
MADem
Nov 2013
#240
I agree. This isn't a kid who beat an abusive parent, this is someone who viciously
MADem
Nov 2013
#286
No. Zero. Yeah, he'll grow up to live in Suburbia with a wife, dog, and two kids. Riiiight.
WinkyDink
Nov 2013
#333
I think many see it as a system that should in part at least be about protecting people
arely staircase
Nov 2013
#343
I just got done searching his/her posts because I swore they made me go "huh?" once before this week
ScreamingMeemie
Nov 2013
#102
After he slashed her throat he wheeled her corpse outside and them he rammed a tree limb up her
Beausoir
Nov 2013
#305
LOL. What a load of bull. That monster is not fixable. He will be caged forever.
Beausoir
Nov 2013
#302
Why are there age of consent laws and why is the age of consent almost always higher than 14?
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#160
There isn't a sudden point at which all points of morality and responsibility at once become clear
muriel_volestrangler
Nov 2013
#166
but all of those matters relates to impulse control. Enlightened society have understood for
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#168
one does not interpret the actions of a child the same way one interprets the actions of an adult
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#307
interpretation? seriously? this was a planned murder, not an impulsive manslaughter.
magical thyme
Nov 2013
#321
a murderer that happened to be a child. I simply don't agree with you that children can be held to
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#322
well the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (and many other states) don't agree with you
magical thyme
Nov 2013
#323
well this is completely out of step with almost every other western democracy on earth
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#324
When I come across crimes that I cannot even begin to comprehend where the motivation is beyond my
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#194
"all rational faculties would have told any thinking adult that there is a 100% chance that they
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#223
those guys in supermax are not fourteen years old children - this chlld is
Douglas Carpenter
Nov 2013
#227
If there were a mechanism in place to confine if there's no rehabilitiation, that would be one thing
geek tragedy
Nov 2013
#232
In Massachusetts, a conviction of first degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of
Tanuki
Nov 2013
#329
That is true, but the Supreme Court has ruled that a juvenile cannot be charged so as to be
morningfog
Nov 2013
#330
I would really like to see all evidence presented in this case. Such horrific crime
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#211
He needs proper psychiatric assessment, done by at least two independent professionals.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#270
by planning the details, then staging her body and leaving a note, he showed he was likely
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#271
Doing time in prison is not 'escaping responsibility'. I don't support vengeance based prison system.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#290
you go cling to the fantasy that it is about vengeance, or that his lawyers will not blame everything
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#292
US legal system is vengence based, and it doesn't work. Also, are you replying to the right post?
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#297
yes, but it is all we have right now. doesn't mean that no one should go to jail, LOL. sorry.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#299
Did anyone tell you this kid should go free? Where did you get that from? Not from my posts.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#301
minors automatically go free at a certain age, unless they are confined to a psych hospital
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#303
There is no point discussing this topic with someone who beleives 14yo is an adult. Is there?
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#306
Lobby to change the law than, instead of arguing he is mature enough to treat as adult.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#326
I don' have resourses for a new pet cause, but thank you. in the meantime, prosecters make
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#336
I repeat, no point discussing this topic with anyone who wants to treat 14yo as adult based on fear.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#337
Oh please, you want to shame me a scaredy cat. LOL. It is entirely a public safety issue.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#340
I repeat, no point discussing this topic with anyone who wants to treat 14yo as adult based on fear
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#341
nt every 14 year old, just the ones who plan snd commit brutal torture and murder.
bettyellen
Nov 2013
#345
'Likely suspect' means someone with previous history of violence and/or cruelty.
idwiyo
Nov 2013
#338