Daisy+Benshoff+1B



Summary: a 9 year old boy admitted to killing two men, including his father. His father had given him a (loaded) hunting rifle as a birthday present. Supposedly, the boy shot the two men, not knowing the gun was loaded. He will be kept with the state until he's 18. He will go through psychiatric sessions to determine what should be done with the boy. Lawyers do not wish to commit the boy or add on any charges to the homicide. If the boy doesn't commit anymore crimes before the age of eighteen, his criminal record will be erased.

Defendant: As it is stated, the boy confessed to shooting his father and a another man in the house with a gun he got for his birthday. He says he wasn't aware the gun was loaded.

Prosecutor: The boy confessed to it himself and the two victims are both dead. Police have been investigating and they have found no evidence leading to the idea of any sort of abuse that could have cause the boy to shoot in desperation. Investegators are trying to find something that could have led the boy to attack.

Outcome: The court has decided to keep the boy in state custody and put him through psychiatric tests to see if he is mentally stable and if he should stay in Juvenile Detention, a psych ward, or with his mother. If all of the tests go well and the boy refrains from committing crimes before the age of 18, his records will be erased and he will be able to live as any other.

Reflection: To tell you the truth, there is no better course of action that comes to mind when this case comes to mind. They being aware of the fact that he is probably too young to have been able to realize that he was killing yet, at the same time, they aren't blowing it off because he's just a kid. Since he's so young, it's hard to know what he can perceive so being able to know if he was conscious of his actions will tell the jury a lot about the actions to take. I would have banned the boy from having a gun license just to be safe. No matter what the final ruling might be. If the boy had been an adult, it would be safe to say that he was most definitely aware of what he was doing. He would be tried for murder just like any other man. media type="youtube" key="xmpzaM00y8I" height="364" width="445"

Sources: Ytimg. Retrieved November 11, 2009, Web site: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xmpzaM00y8I/hqdefault.jpg

Moore, Solomon (2009, February, 19). Boy, 9, enters a guilty plea in 2 killings in Arizona. //NYTimes//, Retrieved November 11, 2009, from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/20boy.html?scp=23&sq=juvenile%20crime&st=cse