CRABTREE+1A


=//Boy told police his grandparents 'deserved' to die //=

** Backround information: ** This crime took place on a November night, 2001, outside Chester, South Carolina. Christopher Pittman, was 12 years old at the time, shot and killed both of his grandparents whom he lived with. After the killing, the boy burned down the house and stole their SUV. When police questioned him he eventually confessed to the murders. Pittman claimed that they deserved it because his grandfather had beaten him with a paddle that night.

**Defendant's side:** Not much was said about Pittman’s defense during trial. The article stated that he claimed his violent acts were linked to his regular use of Zoloft. His attorney said that the drug caused the boy to experience hallucinations telling him to kill his grand-parents.

**Prosecutor's side:** The Food and Drug Administration claims that anti-depressants do not cause people to become violent with each other. The makers of Zoloft said that there has been no evidence of the drug contributing to violent acts. The prosecutors believed that Pittamn should be tried as an adult even though he was only 12 when he committed the crime.

**Outcome:** There was discussion on whether or not it is considered cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a person who committed a crime at a very young age to 30 years in prison. The Supreme Court decided that Pittman did not deserve to get out early. Last year Pittman, who is now 19, found out he was sentenced to 30 years in prison with out possibility of parole.

**Personal Opinions:** Before this boy even committed the crime, he had an unstable emotion personality, so therefore I do not believe it was right to give Pittman such a harsh punishment. He probably never had a very good home life so I don't think the judges should have expected him to act civil and to not go on killing sprees. I have seen what anti-depressants do to my uncle who is a war vet and it makes perfect sense that the Zoloft made Pittman unable to control himself when angered. The trial was treated as if he was an adult so it wouldn't have made a difference if he had done this at later age. I believe that justice would have been served if he was given a 15 year sentence with a possibility of parole.

References:
 * Polk, J. (2005, February 16). //Teen gets 30 years in zoloft case//. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com /2005/LAW/02/15/zoloft.trial/index.html
 * Kinnard, M. (2008, April 14). //Court won't hear young killer's appeal//. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-04-14-2737650096_x.htm
 * (2009). //Zoloft cartoon//. Retrieved from http://www.futureofthebook.org/itinplace/wp-content/archives/zoloft.jpg
 * (2009). //Christopher pittman at age 11//. Retrieved from http://www.utexas.edu/opa/media/images/Supreme_Court_petition_Pittman/hi-res/ChristopherPittman_11yearsold.jpg