Kid kills another with bat

[Betty]

I'm sure you've heard about this story already - but if you haven't - here's a link to it: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in688435.shtml

I have very mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, someone killed a someone's son. If it were my son that had died, I would be so upset angry.

On the other hand, this is the result of an older child (by 2 years) harrassing a younger one (13 years old). I suspect that if he hadn't teased him, this wouldn't have occurred. Not that this justifies what happened in any way. Apparently he'd been in several fights in the neighborhood before. I don't think that the 13 year old meant to kill him. Only to shut him up.

Perhaps it's because I was teased as a child and remember the pain it causes (and still does at occasionally). I never had the nerve to fight back - it was never physical but just verbal - but I never could think of a snappy come back or anything. On the one hand, I want to say - Well - I guess that showed him now didn't it. I know that's wrong. I sort of hope he doesn't get put in jail until he's 25... although I know if it were my son that died I would feel differently and perhaps, want him in there for the rest of his life.

What do you guys think? Should the 13 year old be held until he's 25? Should he get probation? Something in between?

[MouseWife]

My short attention span won't let me sit and read the link you posted but I have heard a bit about this.

Going by just the general information I have, the boy was teased, I can only imagine how badly or for the how many'th time, I have to say this, what I said the the Hubster~

'This is very sad. But, I am sure the boy did not intend to kill him. I would imagine he was pushed too far and just meant to make him stop.'


I don't think he should get that much time. If his past is clear, then, this is obviously the other fellows hangup. {sorry that he died, no one ever thinks that is going to happen}.

Schools need to watch their kids and not just let the bullies get away with it to avoid trouble.

It starts at home, though. Can you imagine the home life of the bully? I get angry that some parents don't do their job and other people suffer.

Rambling parent here. Been through issues myself. Very tough call. I hope the judge doesn't make an example of him and treats this case as an individual incident.

[Ghoulish Delight]

What he needs is serious help. There's obviously something very wrong with a 13 year old who doesn't know the consequences of hitting someone in the head with a baseball bat. And according to reports, this isn't a "he swung in defense and did more damage than intended." He hit this kid 3 times, the 3rd time square in the head with a lot of force. One witness said (spiler tags, 'cause it's a little graphic)

Spoiler:

"His head just sounded like a pumpkin getting hit with a bat."

I was bullied a lot as a 13 year old. I fought back occasionally as a 13 year old. But I understood what swinging a bat full force at someone's head would do. So either he was fully aware of what he was doing and should be punished severely, or more likely he lost control of himself with very little provocation (the article says that while he was being teased, the two didn't have any sort of history of problems, so it's not like it built up to it) and needs to be given a LOT of help to control that, because at 13 years old, you should be able to avoid going into a murderous rage.

[MouseWife]

Okay, I just saw the victims' parents on the news. Not what I'd expected.
I did not look at your link. I don't think I could handle that.

This is one of those situations I guess that the story will not be clear until it is done. And even then it will not be ended, to either family. One is murdered, one is a murderer.

The father did say that he has heard that the boy had time to think it over, that it wasn't spur of the moment.

[Not Afraid]

This stuck out to me:

Witnesses say Jeremy was needling and shoving the younger player for pitching a losing game when the 13-year-old seemed to snap.

The younger boy doesn't seem to know it is OK not to win at everything. I'm not sure if that's what made him snap, but, whatever it was, the guy needs, at minimum, some anger management training. Of course, we'll probably never know what was really going on in his head when he snapped and killed Jeremy.

[€uroMeinke]

I blame baseball.

[CoasterMatt]

I blame Canada

[sleepyjeff]

Just a side note but this is why fighting is allowed in hockey.....better to have the antagonist drop their sticks and duke it out then make them bottle it all in and have those conventient murder weapons right in their hands

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by sleepyjeff

Just a side note but this is why fighting is allowed in hockey.....better to have the antagonist drop their sticks and duke it out then make them bottle it all in and have those conventient murder weapons right in their hands

Fighting is tolerated in hockey because it's the only thing that gets it ratings.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

The kid needs therapy.