Thursday, April 23, 2009

A capital idea!

Most of the regulars around here ought to be able to write this post for me.

Boy faces capital murder charge in baby's death

A 12-year-old suspended from school for fighting killed a 10-month-old baby by throwing him to the floor at a home where several young children were unsupervised, officials say. Link

You know I think this is absurd. In Texas, a 12 year-old can't be charged as an adult under any circumstances. Nowhere in the nation can anyone be sentenced to death unless s/he is at least 18 at the time of the crime. So what on earth is the purpose of charging a 12 year-old with capital murder? Is it just a really stern finger-wagging? Boy, you bad, bad kid, you did such a bad thing, we would kill you if we could.

I can't help but note that today is Take Your Kid to Work Day. The recommended age range for participating children is 8-18. I would guess lots of 12 year-olds took part. I wonder how many 12 year-olds went to work in the Harris County District Attorney's Office or in the court today. I wonder what those 12 year-olds thought when they saw the adults in that court system accusing a 12 year-old of a crime worthy of the death penalty. I wonder how the parents taking those 12 year-olds to work answered their questions.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's absolutely ludicrous. Where was the mother? What about the deadbeat dad? These are the people who should answer for something like this.

 
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