Kansas City girl, 5, may face murder charges in drowning

[waggy]

http://news.yahoo.com

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) – A 5-year-old girl could face murder charges in the recent drowning of a toddler in a bathtub, police said on Thursday.

Kansas City police are waiting for a medical examiner's report on how Jermane Johnson Jr., died, but have investigated the death as a homicide, spokesman Darin Snapp said Thursday.

"I've been in law enforcement for 20 years and it's the youngest suspect I can remember," Snapp said. "It's extremely rare."

Johnson, 18 months old, was in a Kansas City house on June 3rd with other children, but the 16-year-old girl who was supposed to be looking after them fell asleep, Snapp said.

Investigators learned through interviews that a 5-year-old girl in the house got irritated at the boy, Snapp said.

"She said she got angry because he would not stop crying and she held him under the water until he stopped crying," Snapp said.

Snapp said a decision on to handle the case will be left up to prosecutors after the medical examiner's report is released.


OK WTF. the 5 yr old needs help. while what she did was wrong They should be charging the BABYSITTER.

WTF insane.

 

[rivan]

Fucked up all around. Kid needs help, not murder charges.

 

[vi edit]

WTF kind of babysitter "falls asleep" with a toddler in the bath tub?????

 

[SirStev0]

That girl is going to need years of help. Because of some inherent issue or because of issues after what she did, most likely both.

The fact that anyone ever felt the need to mention the words "murder charges" reminds me just how fucking silly our world is. It should not even be questionable that such a young person would require psychological help. No need for the "courts" at all.

 

[Numenorean]

WTF what should the babysitter be charged with? Certainly not murder. This is unfortunate, but how could a babysitter really think that a 5YO would drown the baby?

 

[Maleficus]

Fucked up all around. Kid needs help, not murder charges.

A normal 5 year old will know 'this is bad' or 'this hurts him'. may not have a concept of the permanence of death, but they know enough to not hold a baby underwater.

 

[Numenorean]

That girl is going to need years of help. Because of some inherent issue or because of issues after what she did, most likely both.

The fact that anyone ever felt the need to mention the words "murder charges" reminds me just how fucking silly our world is. It should not even be questionable that such a young person would require psychological help. No need for the "courts" at all.

Why would she need years of help?

She may not even remember being 5. I don't remember much from that age.

 

[Numenorean]

A normal 5 year old will know 'this is bad' or 'this hurts him'. may not have a concept of the permanence of death, but they know enough to not hold a baby underwater.

I wouldn't say they know enough not to do that. They do all sorts of things that are not what you want them to do.

 

[paulney]

Babysitter needs to be charged with negligence and possibly involuntary manslaughter. The 5-year old needs help, not charges.

 

[Krynj]

WTF kind of babysitter "falls asleep" with a toddler in the bath tub?????

A drunk, freshly sexed up babysitter.

 

[Wreckem]

Kid is not going to get murder charges.

 

[highland145]

The sitter did it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

WTF what should the babysitter be charged with? Certainly not murder. This is unfortunate, but how could a babysitter really think that a 5YO would the baby?

she accidentally the whole baby

 

[Numenorean]

she accidentally the whole baby

lol, I swear I typed drown in there.

I accidentally it out.

 

[moshquerade]

WTF kind of babysitter "falls asleep" with a toddler in the bath tub?????

This article says the 5 year old "dragged" him to the bath tub (which hadn't been drained from a previous bath) and drowned him. Doesn't appear the toddler was in the tub to begin with.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110610/NEWS11/106100348/Police-Girl-5-said-she-drowned-boy


Looks like at first they thought it was an "accidental drowning" until the 5 year old came up with that story. I wonder if what she told them actually happened...
Also, there is NO WAY the 5 y/o will be charged with murder.

Bart Lubow, the director of the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group, a child advocacy group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, said Thursday that a 5-year-old is incapable of forming intent, and likely wouldn't even know what drowning means.
"You can imagine a child responding to other children's crying by saying, 'I know how to stop that.' But the notion that there was intent there is silly," Lubow said. "This is certainly not something for the criminal justice or delinquency system to be addressing. They're not prepared for this kind of stuff."

 

[highland145]

..

 

[bignateyk]

That's a really shitty situation. The 5 year old could definitely be helped. Hell, if they just pretended like it never happened and moved somewhere else where nobody else knew about it, the 5 year old probably would completely forget about it and grow up to be totally normal.

The babysitter should be charged with negligence, etc... I don't think she should be charged with murder though.

 

[highland145]

The 5 year old doesn't need "help." 5 year olds have the comprehension of 5 year olds, i.e. not much.

 

[Wreckem]

This article says the 5 year old "dragged" him to the bath tub (which hadn't been drained from a previous bath) and drowned him. Doesn't appear the toddler was in the tub to begin with.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110610/NEWS11/106100348/Police-Girl-5-said-she-drowned-boy


Looks like at first they thought it was an "accidental drowning" until the 5 year old came up with that story. I wonder if what she told them actually happened...
Also, there is NO WAY the 5 y/o will be charged with murder.

5 year olds aren't ever going to be charged with murder. Not to mention, unless the parents or a lawyer signed a waiver on behalf of the kid, nothing the kid said could be used as evidence.

 

[JTsyo]

How was the babysitter sleeping if the 18 month old was crying enough to bother to 5 year old? A 5 year old and 18 mth old can get into plenty of trouble other than this if left alone. Wonder how old the other children in the house were.

Of course no charges are going to bought up against the 5yr old.

 

[TheNinja]

wow....what a sad situation. I don't think there is really a need to punish or sue anyone here. It's just a sad accident for everyone involved.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

How would you like to be on the jury for that case? Who in their right mind would possibly vote to convict a five-year-old of murder?

 

[TheVrolok]

Why would she need years of help?

She may not even remember being 5. I don't remember much from that age.

Not remembering what your favorite foods were at age 5 != not remembering killing another child and the surrounding police investigation.




If this child gets charged with anything it's an absolutely epic fail.

 

[Numenorean]

Not remembering what your favorite foods were at age 5 != not remembering killing another child and the surrounding police investigation.




If this child gets charged with anything it's an absolutely epic fail.

I don't remember the people I killed at 5, it was more 7-8 that I started retaining all of that information.

 

[Lithium381]

I sure hope the kid doesn't go away for life..... but the way our FUCKED UP SYSTEM is right now i can't say i'd be suprised. Lucky they're not in CA, she'd be scheduled for death-row already....