8-year-old California girl found dead in recycling bin

[mikeford]

Possible to want to knock someone out but blunt force trauma to the head is a roll of the dice. You could also try to keep someone from screaming and asphyxiate them.

Treyvon Martin.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

15 isn't even that old. A lot of rapists get their start around then. I don't see the purpose of ever bothering to try and rehabilitate violent criminals when there's no shortage of human life. Much easier and more efficient to assume him a lost cause and save a political fugitive from a third-world country instead.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

I'm glad that my 9 year old daughter is very mentally mature because I usually show her articles like this to remind her that these things can and do happen.

And what if it's a family friend you and your daughter had known for years?

 

[halik]

 

[RelaxTheMind]

the kid learned it from somewhere. not saying he is faultless but the problem is rooted somewhere. i feel somewhat safer about my kids telling myself that its not just some random thought process of your rather normal 15y old.

 

[rh71]

Maybe I've been watching too many crime dramas but it's usually because they were mentally or physically abused as a child.

 

[destrekor]

Maybe I've been watching too many crime dramas but it's usually because they were mentally or physically abused as a child.

Sure, possibly, I suspect there's a strong case to be made as to the likelihood of a rough upbringing.

But once you reach a point where you are fucked up enough to what is most likely rape and then kill an 8 year old girl when you are 15... I can't help but feel you are beyond the hope of reform and redemption. Extreme medication and psychological therapy, IMHO, is only delaying the inevitable slide back toward quenching that thirst.

We let a lot of mentally incompetent people who have done foul things remain alive because medications seem to make them better, sometimes rather successfully.

But I don't believe that damaged criminals should ever be released back into the population just because medication can work. All it takes is for them to stop taking said medication, and even then, perhaps that medication isn't enough once they are truly on their own.

If you want to keep them locked up for life in psychiatric hospitals, sure... I think that's fair.

If we address the fact that we have far too many people incarcerated and scale back how many people we lock up, I am fine with lifetime psychiatric holds and lifetime sentences. But we just waste far too much money on people are who not worth it. Just my opinion, of course, feel free to have a different one.

For this kid, I say give him whatever is cheaper to the state: lifetime incarceration or psychiatric hold. Never release.
I suspect incarceration is cheaper, because in the end, he won't make it out alive once he's in with the adult population.

 

[KeithP]

The purpose of prison or severity of a penalty is to keep the person from wanting to do it [again] or reforming them.

No, you are wrong. The purpose of prison is punishment for the crime, reform of the prisoner and protection to society. They are all independent. For example, if a prisoner gets "reformed" in a short time relative to what their sentence is, the punishment aspect justifies him serving a sentence past the time of their reform.

In this case, the punishment alone justifies life in prison and when the facts come out, I am guessing a case can be made that he will never truly be reformed. Life in prison is what this kid should get assuming he is found guilty.

-KeithP

 

[1sikbITCH]

How do you accidentally kill someone?

Cleaning your weapon, it accidentally discharges. Your foot slips on the gas and you mow down some pedestrians. Don't tighten the gas line down well enough, house explodes. Use bad meat, poison your family.
Doctor slips and cuts an artery, someone misreads the medication bottle, forgets about the child in the backseat, backs out of the driveway over the neighbor's kid, bump into someones and they fall off the subway platform, or even accidentally get your buddy pulled over. We all know what happens then. BOOM headshot.

 

[MarkXIX]

And what if it's a family friend you and your daughter had known for years?

We don't rule that out either. All you can do as a parent is try your best to protect your kids from all possibilities.

She understands that she should always be with a sibling or other friends and never go off alone with anyone, even if they're "friends". Like I said, she's a smart girl and we do our best to keep her informed.

 

[BD231]

Maybe I've been watching too many crime dramas but it's usually because they were mentally or physically abused as a child.

More likely that kid was watching to many crime drama's and got the idea there.

If its anything at all like the natural desire to kill small rodents or bugs with a magnifying glass at that age he's probably going to kill himself at some point if he gets life.

 

[Rakehellion]

Cleaning your weapon, it accidentally discharges. Your foot slips on the gas and you mow down some pedestrians. Don't tighten the gas line down well enough, house explodes. Use bad meat, poison your family.
Doctor slips and cuts an artery, someone misreads the medication bottle, forgets about the child in the backseat, backs out of the driveway over the neighbor's kid, bump into someones and they fall off the subway platform, or even accidentally get your buddy pulled over. We all know what happens then. BOOM headshot.

Great.

How does a 15 year-old accidentally kill someone?

 

[piasabird]

The worst part is that if you are 15 you probably cant get the death sentence. Imagine a life sentence at 15. Now that is a bummer.

 

[piasabird]

How do people get the bodies down to the dumpster?

 

[shortylickens]

How do people get the bodies down to the dumpster?

Article says she was only 48 pounds.
A teen boy knee deep in puberty could easily haul her on his shoulder.

 

[rh71]

If its anything at all like the natural desire to kill small rodents or bugs with a magnifying glass at that age he's probably going to kill himself at some point if he gets life.

I think there's too many amateur psychologists here, probably myself included. We always liked killing bugs. I used to swing a bat at lightning bugs just to see the spark. Now I'm going to do something heinous to another human or myself?

18 to be an adult is just an arbitrary number for the law. We mentally mature at different ages. The number 15 just has people thrown for a loop here. Is it really any different than a 20-year old doing exactly what he did - something that probably wouldn't make national headlines (if this hadn't been an 8-year old girl too of course). People maybe should freak out if the boy were like 10... not 15.

 

[amdhunter]

I used to swing a bat at lightning bugs just to see the spark.

Lightning bugs spark when you hit them? I've got to try this. :biggrin:

 

[shortylickens]

I think there's too many amateur psychologists here, probably myself included. We always liked killing bugs. I used to swing a bat at lightning bugs just to see the spark. Now I'm going to do something heinous to another human or myself?

18 to be an adult is just an arbitrary number for the law. We mentally mature at different ages. The number 15 just has people thrown for a loop here. Is it really any different than a 20-year old doing exactly what he did - something that probably wouldn't make national headlines (if this hadn't been an 8-year old girl too of course). People maybe should freak out if the boy were like 10... not 15.

I hunted for years.
I've probably killed a million people in video games.
Never shot or stabbed anyone in the real world.

Having said that, ANY 15 year old should know killing is wrong, even if he were deranged.
The fact he tried hiding the body means he knew full well the implications of his actions.

 

[MarkXIX]

Lightning bugs spark when you hit them? I've got to try this. :biggrin:

The splatter of them on my car windshield certainly resembles a spark at times, so ... plausible.

 

[SP33Demon]

The purpose of prison or severity of a penalty is to keep the person from wanting to do it [again] or reforming them. A 15 year old probably does not know the punishments (just knows it's not a good thing to do)... so what is the purpose of life in prison? They could possibly ease up in this case. What a waste of a life if it is the max since he's being tried as an adult.

Surely you jest. This kid should get a bullet, not a lenient sentence.

 

[KeithTalent]

charged as an adult. what a waste.

//edit

oh you sick fuck.

Good lord. D:

KT

 

[Slew Foot]

I find it moderately amusing that a bunch of liberal hippies are trying to keep this kid out of jail for life while they try to find ways to put that dentist guy in a Zimbabwe jail for life.

 

[shortylickens]

I find it moderately amusing that a bunch of liberal hippies are trying to keep this kid out of jail for life while they try to find ways to put that dentist guy in a Zimbabwe jail for life.

If you mean this forum, we are not all liberal hippies.

 

[BudAshes]

Damn, right in my home town too. They are in an area where there is a homeless highway right behind that building. I would have assumed it would be some crazy homeless person, which are numerous and thriving.

 

[Slew Foot]

If you mean this forum, we are not all liberal hippies.

Not this forum necessarily, but the internet in general.