Reply #41: He was 12 years old. He, no matter how much the courts want us to believe

[Heddi]

that he was, does NOT have the cognative processes that an adult has. Any developmental psychologist worth their salt will say the same thing. A 12 year old is not developed mentally the same way a 22 year old is.

Was he careless in his playing with her? Certainly. He was immitating wrestling moves and they were PLAYING TOGETHER. I don't recall that he crawled into her bed and beat her over the head as she slept. I don't recall that he out of the blue just pummeled her and killed her. They were playing together, as children do. He imitated a move he saw wrestlers do.

Of course, adults know that wrestling is a play-sport. The moves are choregraphed and practiced, and that wrestlers are taught how to fall, how to hit, how to jump onto someone with minimal injury.

But this was a CHILD. a 12 year old CHILD. He didn't know that what he was doing could KILL someone. He was playing.

What part of "unfortunate accident" is so hard to comprehend. There was no malace. There was no previous intent. I don't see why you're so hung up on the fact that a 12 year old child made a ghastly mistake. That isn't to diminish the death of his friend, a young girl of 6. However, I don't understand what purpose a life sentence serves.

We're not talking about a hardened gang member who at 12 has robbed old ladies of their purses, taken part in strong-armed robbery against a store owner, or raped and tortured young women. He was a CHILD whose play got out of hand. Tragic, yes. He should undergo psychiatric counseling, definitely. But he should NOT spend the rest of his life behind bars because of an ACCIDENT.

I guess I could understand the rage if, instead of being 12, he was 22. Or 17. Or an age where one inherently "knows better". He wasn't playing with a loaded gun that went off. He didn't throw rocks at her head or put bleach in her milk. I guess that *I* can see the difference, degree-wise, in THOSE actions vs. someone playing and playing too rough.

My god---when I was in 4th grade, a schoolmate of mine pushed me off the monkeybars, causing me to break my wrist. No harm, no foul. I went to the DR, got a cast, and she had to say "i'm sorry". No arrest for assault and battery. it was an ACCIDENT. She didn't mean to push me. However, I'm assuming by posts in this thread, many people would suggest that my fellow 9 year old friend be locked away for 20 years minimum for assault and battery, and that she should have known better and what a worthless criminal she was destined to be, what, with the accidental pushing and all that :eyes: