Otis+Skipper+1B

Adolescent Justice Case Otis Skipper **Background:** On July 28, 1999 Six year old Tiffany Eunick and her mother visited the Tate’s Pembroke Park Florida house for dinner. After dinner Twelve year old Lionel Tate and Tiffany stayed downstairs while the mothers went up stairs. Around eleven pm Lionel came upstairs telling his mom that Tiffany wasn’t breathing. He claimed that they were wrestling and he had put her in a headlock and slammed her on a table. He then later said that he had also jumped on her. But further investigation showed that Lionel had beaten her much more than just that. She died with a ruptured spleen, lacerations, and damage to her rib cage, a fractured skull, brain contusions, and a partially detached liver. //Victim Tiffany Eunick// The Attorneys of Lionel Tate argued that the death of the girl was an accident. They said that he had not intention of killing the girl, he was simply wrestling with her and it was taken too far and that he had no idea the damage he was causing. Psychologist Michael Brannon evaluated Tate and found that he had "a high potential for violence, uncontrolled feelings of anger, resentment, and poor impulse control." He suggested that if Tate were to be released he be immediately put in a mental hospital for continued monitoring. //Defendant Lionel Tate// **Prosecutor’s Side:** Instead of charging Tate with premeditation, the prosecutors charged Tate with felony murder. They claimed that aggravated child abuse was the underlying felony. This would fit Brannon’s study claiming that Tate had a high potential for violence backed with anger and resentment.
 * Defendant’s Side:**

**Outcome:** The prosecutors won the case. Tate was found guilty of a felony murder. He was given the choice to plead guilty of a lesser charge, but refused and continued to plead innocent. At the age of 14, Tate was the youngest person in the U.S. charged of first degree murder conviction and sentenced to life in prison. Though Tate did not spend his entire life in prison, he continued to serve house arrest and parole. He also continued to have trouble with illegal weapons and aggravated assaults. **Opinion:** I think that the courts’ ruling was fair. Lionel Tate clearly murdered Tiffany Eunick. Though he may have not intentionally murdered her, it is still murder. Either way he was an extremely violent individual that posed a danger to others. The aggression showed was no “accident”. I believe it was fair that he was tried as an adult. Though at Twelve kids do not have a complete grasp of the world, they should be in control of themselves and not kill others. Because he had clear aggression problems I think it would have been fair to have him transferred to a mental hospital, but he pleaded innocent and chose his own fate. It is also clear that he did not learn his lesson, because even after he got out of jail he continued a life of anger and aggression. Lionel Tate. Retrieved on 11/12/09 from [] Killer: Lionel Tate – Victim: Tiffany Eunick. Retrieved from karisable. [] Tiffany Eunick. Retrieved on 11/12/09 from []
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