Bored teens who beat homeless man to death face life in prison

[The Straight Story]

Teens Who Beat Man For Fun Face Life In Prison

POSTED: 12:37 pm EST December 8, 2005
UPDATED: 1:04 pm EST December 8, 2005

A group of teens who confessed to beating a homeless man to death because they were bored and looking for something to do entered guilty pleas Thursday, hoping to avoid life sentences in connection with the crime, according to Local 6 News.

Police said the teens beat Michael Roberts to death three different times over a two-hour period at a secluded homeless camp in Holly Hill on May 25.

The Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office concluded Roberts was beaten to death. Roberts suffered broken ribs, skull fractures and injuries to his legs during the beating.

"The teenagers told police officers that they committed this crime for fun," Local 6 reporter Tarik Minor said.

http://www.local6.com/news/5493174/detail.html

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I got two words for the judge here: git-ter done. Toss em in jail and swallow the key.

[catnhatnh]

1. Jesus.....

...Wept....

[Yollam]

9. ...and I will smile

if these kids get the book thrown at them.

There is nothing lower than preying on the weakest, the powerless.

I hope they enjoy the decades of assraping they will get for their heartlessness.

[catnhatnh]

20. Y'ever been in jail?

...cuz' I have. The idea isn't (current culture to the contrary) to set people up to be raped and abused (though it does happen,to our national shame).The idea is penitence-a sincere inventory of your past actions and a chance to repent and rehabilitate yourself to accommodate the mores of society. The same people who will celebrate the violent rape of prison inmates are those that will often support the death penalty that aligns this once great country with Iran, China, and North Korea.While the actions of the teens involved are disgusting and worthy of a lengthy incarceration it should ALSO be a wake-up call to examine the society that produced them....and when a society produces, not one, but a PACK of such sociopaths an examination is called for....

[Yollam]

27. Of course I'm half-joking.

And, no, I would never condone rape under any circumstances, but it does happen.

No, I am proud to day I have never been in prison or jail. I don't support the death penalty, but that's only because there is always the possibility that an innocent man may die and that is a chance I would not take.

As for society, nope, sorry, even in our fucked-up society, and teenager should be able to glean enough empathy to know that beating the rap out of a bum (or anyone else) is cruel and vicious. By the way, I don't even know if they meant to kill the guy, and don't really care. The fact that they wanted to inflict misery on him is even worse than just trying to kill him, IMO.


And is not any suffering, IE beatings, etc. that they suffer in prison a pert of penitence? Wouldn't that make a person tend to think about what they did?

[catnhatnh]

28. I'm glad to hear you're joking....

and admit to making some of the same jokes....but your thread IS a serious comment on the state of our society....Do you have children?Who the fuck produces a child so seriously confused and non-empathic???It is as if the six year old mindset that results in burning ants with a magnifying glass has never been challenged or corrected over the intervening ten years...ie: a societal,or at least parental breakdown....And no-custody of a person implies responsibility FOR a person...rapes are a no-no..beatings are a no-no...the punishment is supposed to be BEING IN JAIL-nothing more...all the fevered action scenes in movies are NOT supposed to exist and can actually be legally actionable under civil law....often when you read about "frivolous suits" launched by inmates,this is the cause...Put them in jail, let them do their time and then let them walk again in the freedom of the sunlight-to allow abuse or to do less is a smear on our national reputation...

[Yollam]

29. Like I said, I don't justify them per se.

When they happen, they should be stopped, and negligent prison officials should be punished.

But there are times when violence in prison does seem to serve up some cosmic justice, as when Jeffrey Dahmer was killed. I don't think many people thought ill of the inmates who did him in.


But in a legal sense, you are 100% right.

[lpbk2713]

2. A lot of the men they will be in jail with were homeless at one time

or another. Let's see how much fun they will have now.

[ugarte]

3. Boredom is a terrible thing

Sometimes the only cure is a homeless person to beat on.

[The Straight Story]

5. Sounds like a RW bumper sticker :) (nt)

[CatWoman]

11. or a RW Holiday greeting card

:rofl:

[ugarte]

22. Uh-oh, you said 'Holiday' instead of 'Christmas'...nt

[BreweryYardRat]

4. What a bunch of scum!

Doesn't surprise me though, just makes me sadder and angrier.

[DS1]

6. Excellent

[BattyDem]

7. Bored?!? That's why they killed someone???

:wow:

Kids ... go bowling, play pinball, shoot some hoops - you don't KILL someone because you're bored!!! :wtf:

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Seriously!

[TomInTib]

8. "beat him to death three different times"? Was he Jesus?

Seriously, though. These punks deserve hard time in a hard place.

They will be plenty "bored" for a long time, if you get my drift>

[Matariki]

14. i was wondering about that one too!

[Obamanaut]

21. I sent them an email asking them to explain the three deaths. nt

[WindRavenX]

10. Good

Remove them from society.

[Bike Punk]

12. they should all get

roommated named Rufus with no teeh who outweigh them by 50 lbs.

[The Straight Story]

16. What, is my web cam on?

I swear you about described me :) I did have my teeth removed monday - dentures soon though!

[WI_DEM]

15. Ages 15-18 hard to believe they aren't old enough to know better

I say put them away for a long long time. Then they'll know what real boredom is.

[meganmonkey]

17. This is so sick and so sad

I don't even know what to say :cry:

[FreedomAngel82]

18. Disgusting!

Ugh!

[pinniped]

19. Sure, there are hundreds of homeless in this city...

and we do that all the time we're bored and not on DU.

--they committed this crime for fun,--

[JaneQPublic]

23. "Toss em in jail and swallow the key."

Sounds about right to me.

[wixomblues]

24. What a shame. They will never grow up and become republicans.

maybe only in spirit.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. Did the homeless guy say he was carrying a bomb?

That defense works for airport security.

[scorpiogirl]

26. So sad...

Every time I see a story about how a young person has killed someone needlessly, I have to wonder how they'll feel when they realize they threw away their entire life for such a stupid reason.

[Boojatta]

30. At first they might feel like martyrs ...

... in the "Holy War Against Poor People."

[devilgrrl]

31. Good! Lock them up and throw away the key!

F*** these losers!

[Jim__]

32. "...the teens beat Michael Roberts to death three different times ...

Huh?