11 Year Old Killer

[VinnyThunder]

It shocks me that anyone would assume an 11 year-old could understand the full implications of murder, and then go on to say he should be put to death. You're making the decision that he should be killed just as he made the decision that his future stepmother should be killed; you're punishing murder with murder, and that of a child no less.

How many of you would have fully understood the concept of murder at 11? How could you decree that an 11 year old is equally culpable in such a crime as an adult? That's like expecting an 11 year old to understand all the responsibilities of an adult and requiring him to adhere to them.

I agree with Fatal Impurity. This boy obviously requires therapy and a fair sentence.

[BlackJack]

It shocks me that anyone would assume an 11 year-old could understand the full implications of murder, and then go on to say he should be put to death. You're making the decision that he should be killed just as he made the decision that his future stepmother should be killed; you're punishing murder with murder, and that of a child no less.

How many of you would have fully understood the concept of murder at 11? How could you decree that an 11 year old is equally culpable in such a crime as an adult? That's like expecting an 11 year old to understand all the responsibilities of an adult and requiring him to adhere to them.

I agree with Fatal Impurity. This boy obviously requires therapy and a fair sentence.

I understood the concept of murder at 11. Are you saying that you didn't understand murder at 11?
I find that hard to believe.

[VinnyThunder]

I understood the concept of murder at 11. Are you saying that you didn't understand murder at 11?
I find that hard to believe.

What I'm saying is that an 11 year-old kid doesn't look at murder the same way an adult does. A kid hasn't fully developed his personality, world view or morals yet, and doesn't fully understand the consequences of murder for him or his victim. Had this kid been older and wiser, he may not have resorted to murder.

I also believe that had the adults around him realized the warning signs and brought him to therapy, there's a chance this could have been averted.

[BlackJack]

I also believe that had the adults around him realized the warning signs and brought him to therapy, there's a chance this could have been averted.

I agree with this point, but I still think we're selling the cognitive powers of an 11yo short.

[Fatal Impurity]

I agree with this point, but I still think we're selling the cognitive powers of an 11yo short.

I think he knew exactly what he was doing but you've got to think about how impulsive\pushy youth's are, not only that but theres every chance that at his age his life could be turned around and his issues could be sorted.

I Remember when I was young and I stole a chocolate bar because I wanted it? I knew perfectly well it was wrong but it was there and I thought "I'll get away with it" or "It looks so nice", sure that didn't actually happen to you but I'm sure a simaler situation arose at some point. Killing him will solve nothing and make it no easier to understand the criminal phychology behind what he did.

[Ryvius]

I think he knew exactly what he was doing but you've got to think about how impulsive\pushy youth's are, not only that but theres every chance that at his age his life could be turned around and his issues could be sorted.

I Remember when I was young and I stole a chocolate bar because I wanted it? I knew perfectly well it was wrong but it was there and I thought "I'll get away with it" or "It looks so nice", sure that didn't actually happen to you but I'm sure a simaler situation arose at some point. Killing him will solve nothing and make it no easier to understand the criminal phychology behind what he did.

Allow me to play devil's advocate.

How can you say it will solve nothing? It will do exactly what it was meant to do, remove a dangerous person from society. The death penalty isn't something done for revenge or a show of force, but to remove dangerous people to protect the rest of us. According to this article, he knew a lot about guns and participated in shooting competitions. This probably means he had to go through some sort of gun safety class. There's no way he didn't understand the gravity of his actions. The country goes to great lengths to protect children that do horrible things, but to what end? Sure there's a chance that they can be turned around, but it's a small one. I'm sure there's someone you've known for a long time that you think "They'll never change." Would you put your own life on the line for their sake? Is risking the lives of innocent, decent people really worth the chance that his life might be turned around?

[VinnyThunder]

Allow me to play devil's advocate.

How can you say it will solve nothing? It will do exactly what it was meant to do, remove a dangerous person from society. The death penalty isn't something done for revenge or a show of force, but to remove dangerous people to protect the rest of us. According to this article, he knew a lot about guns and participated in shooting competitions. This probably means he had to go through some sort of gun safety class. There's no way he didn't understand the gravity of his actions. The country goes to great lengths to protect children that do horrible things, but to what end? Sure there's a chance that they can be turned around, but it's a small one. I'm sure there's someone you've known for a long time that you think "They'll never change." Would you put your own life on the line for their sake? Is risking the lives of innocent, decent people really worth the chance that his life might be turned around?

So your answer is to respond with just as horrible an act, the killing of a kid? Society will be just as safe with him behind bars, and that is a far more humane decision.

Also, to predict that he will never change is a huge assumption. This is an 11 year old, he has a long way to go before he reaches maturity; I think there's a good chance that, with the proper help, he could realize why what he did was wrong and move on to become a normal member of society; but if he doesn't, he's not going to harm anyone in jail in any case.

I am strongly against the death penalty. I don't believe that we should just exterminate whoever commits murder when we could analyze why it occurred, work with the convicted to understand why they resorted to murder, and take preventative measures to avoid those kind of situations in the future. Society has much to learn from the crimes its members commits, but killing the perpetrators of those crimes prevents us from this possibility.

Do we value lives so little, even those lives that have gone down the wrong path, that we would throw them away simply because they present us with the problem of dealing with them? These aren't just criminals that we hear about on the news, these are people; they were born innocent, but you would have them die before they could find redemption.