AuntieM Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I have really mixed feelings on this, and would like to process it logically. What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 How old is he? I agree that there should be one cutoff age that makes you a youth or adult. In MI it's 17 - if you do something the week before your 17th bday, you get into a whole different court system than if you had done the same thing a week later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Is this the one where they are positive that he is guilty and students died? Death penalty. I don't care how old he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I think it's kind of weird to change the distinction based on the crime. Why is one 12 year old processed as a youth, but another as an adult? That does not seem right to me. It should be, come up with an age that is considered an adult and stick to it. But maybe I'm missing something here... :iagree: I don't like the process of deciding the crime was so bad that a child is now an adult. Either someone that age has the reasoning capacity of an adult or they don't. Pick an age and stick to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I also wish the distinction between youth and adult wasn't changed based on crime. In my area we have a lot of debate right now because they are trying a 12 year old as an adult. It's not the first time they've done it here either, and I don't agree with it. I get 17 is borderline but I feel they've carried it too far when they start saying 12 year olds are also adults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Is this the one where they are positive that he is guilty and students died? Death penalty. I don't care how old he is. So if he were 8 the death penalty would be OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 :iagree: I don't like the process of deciding the crime was so bad that a child is now an adult. Either someone that age has the reasoning capacity of an adult or they don't. Pick an age and stick to it. The hs boy in Colorado who killed his parents was noted to be "very immature" for his age. It was part of why he was charged as a juvenile. I don't know there is a cut and dried age for some people. Some people are just abnormal. Perhaps those charging know more about the boy than we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I might be wrong, but I got the impression from the article I read that he is currently charged as a juvenile because he is 17, but that the prosecutors are pushing for him to be charged as an adult. So it seems to be still up in the air what will ultimately happen. Personally, I think there's no question he should be tried as an adult. When a child is 14 or 15, sometimes it bugs me for them to be charged as adults, but in this case, in my opinion, he is quite close enough and committed a very adult crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Where are you seeing this information? This is a local case for me and none of the local news stations are reporting that. I do know that the prosecutor was required to charge him with something by Thursday (yesterday) if they were going to keep him in custody. The prosecutor charged him, but local news has been saying that they are going to try to charge him as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I can see holding someone who is 16 and up accountable as an adult as reasonable, but I also think premeditated murder warrants lower ages of accountability. If they are mature enough to commit premeditated murder and follow through on the plan, they are mature enough to take the consequences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I can see holding someone who is 16 and up accountable as an adult as reasonable, but I also think premeditated murder warrants lower ages of accountability. If they are mature enough to commit premeditated murder and follow through on the plan, they are mature enough to take the consequences. Does that mean they are old enough to vote, drink, get married ... If they are going to be accountable as an adult do they receive the privileges of an adult? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 He might have been charged as an adult, but that doesn't mean the prosecutor can't then charge him as an adult. The laws are very strict (as they should be) about how long a person can be held without being formally charged. The process to charge a juvenile as an adult isn't a quick one...as is also proper. There are arguments to be made and papers to be filed and hearings to be held. So, while he was charged as a juvenile, that was prob to hold him in detention. His status will prob change. Really, there is nothing to see here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 He might have been charged as an adult, but that doesn't mean the prosecutor can't then charge him as an adult. The laws are very strict (as they should be) about how long a person can be held without being formally charged. The process to charge a juvenile as an adult isn't a quick one...as is also proper. There are arguments to be made and papers to be filed and hearings to be held. So, while he was charged as a juvenile, that was prob to hold him in detention. His status will prob change. Really, there is nothing to see here. But, then we can't debate when it's reasonable to charge a child as an adult. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I might be wrong, but I got the impression from the article I read that he is currently charged as a juvenile because he is 17, but that the prosecutors are pushing for him to be charged as an adult. So it seems to be still up in the air what will ultimately happen. Personally, I think there's no question he should be tried as an adult. When a child is 14 or 15, sometimes it bugs me for them to be charged as adults, but in this case, in my opinion, he is quite close enough and committed a very adult crime. The news this morning said that the process in Ohio has him in juvenile court to begin with period. The DA can decide from there whether to charge him as an adult after his initial hearing. The DA has said he will pursue adult charges. So, this is just the process, not that he won't be tried as an adult in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) I don't like the process of deciding the crime was so bad that a child is now an adult. Either someone that age has the reasoning capacity of an adult or they don't. Pick an age and stick to it. :iagree: Doesn't matter...he's either getting away from a bad home life and into a better place or he's getting a lifetime of supervision that he needs for mental illness. Says a lot about our society that kids have no escape hatch until they do something heinous. :iagree: The whole sceanrio is horrible. I have put myself in the shoes of the parents who had kids killed or injured, and it is horrible to think about in terms of how I would feel if it were my child. I have put myself in the shoes of the family whose son did the shooting, and it is horrible to think about in terms of how I would feel if it were my child. I have no idea how someone could do this. I don't condone it. There will be consequences to the actions. Turning yourself in for something done that was horrible, doesn't take away the consequenses, doesn't right the wrong. It won't make the losses better. I really wonder if the shooter has any idea of how much worse things will be for him now. Edited March 2, 2012 by QuirkyKapers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Sorry to post and run, I'm bouncing off and on via my phone today. Imp, I am link-impaired (hangs head in shame). When I get to a real computer I will try and figure it out. I first read it on the Fox News website, I think two days ago. It has just been stuck in my head as I try to form an (unemotional) opinion on the matter I just checked and the article is still there. However, iirc, the article today appears to be an expanded version of the one I read. FN does that sometimes. Now a line within says that the juvenile charge is a first step to what may become an adult charge. I appreciate all your opinions. And redsquirrel, this thread is for the sake of processing information, kicking around ideas. While it may be a moot point to debate the legality of either position, I hope you don't think it irrelevant that I/we feel burdened to thoughtfully consider the matter. I'll be back when my running is done. Thanks, all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I am completely against the death penalty, so I hope he is charged as a juvenile. Especially if bullying was the primary motivation. No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I want him to be charged as a juvenile and receive the services he'd be eligible for as a juv. In my experience, once you get into the adult system, it's rare for the PTB to give a crap. This young man/old kid needs extensive, extensive therapy, IMO. Consequences, yes, but help, yes too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) I am completely against the death penalty, so I hope he is charged as a juvenile. Especially if bullying was the primary motivation. No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. Bullied to the point of insanity. My God. You've really hit on something there. I've been shelving this topic a little, not finding time in my week to allow the emotions that will come when I consider that a child murdered other children who tormented him. The bullying part of these stories is so important. We all react to the tragedy appropriately, in shock and distress that violence happened at school and the question of "Oh-Lord-why-are-the-children-defective," but the conversations stop short of discussing what the deceased did that was answered by an insane mind. It is too hard to think about, but this keeps happening in schools so we have to think about all angles. Mergath, I think that is very important phrase. Thank you. :crying: Edited March 2, 2012 by Tibbie Dunbar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I have a nephew who committed some serious crimes. He was tried as a juvenile and treated as such. It was quite foreseeable that he would not change his ways once he was released. He has no sense of right/wrong and never appeared to feel guilty from his crimes. He was in lock up of some kind from the time he was a very young teen until he was 19yo. He escaped once and was returned. Once he was released at 19, he was out for only a few months and then recommitted a crime and is now locked up as an adult. Even at a young age, you could tell that he was not going to be reformed in the juvenile system. On the other hand, I don't think that locking him up with adults in prison, was the right answer for a 13 yo. I do agree that some kids need to be treated as a juvenile and some should be an adult. I also think that anyone who feels that they have the right to take another's life, has made the decision to take the consequences that are set aside for murderers. We aren't talking about a kid stealing. We aren't talking about a drug charge. We aren't even talking about accidental manslaughter. I think that for some charges, such as premeditated random murder, the person is making a statement that says, "even though I am x years old, I have no internal wright/wrong switch to prevent me from doing this." As such, they need the most severe consequences available to not only protect the public, but to protect them also. I would not want the juvenile court to eliminate murder as a charge, just to move all of these cases to adult court. There are some incidents that indeed belong in juvenile court. But, I also feel that for some of the more heinous crimes by children....adult court and consequences are where they belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Pick an age, stick to it. It's not perfect. Nothing is. But I hate to think that a kid gets tried as an adult because he has a bad lawyer (and there are plenty of bad lawyers). That amounts to bad luck, not reasoning. The problem is picking an age. It's like saying that all kids should read at _ level by age _. People are individuals, and there is a fine line between child and adult. In NH, boys and girls could choose to get married at ages 13 & 14 only a hundred years ago. That is a very adult act. So do you have the age for prosecutorial jurisdiction set at age-13, age-18, or based on the individual and their crime? Personally, I think it should be based on the individual case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I am completely against the death penalty, so I hope he is charged as a juvenile. Especially if bullying was the primary motivation. No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. In Ohio, a juvenile who is charged as an adult is not considered for the death penalty. To be charged as an adult means that he is eligible for a life sentence. If he is charged as a juvenile and sentenced as a juvenile he would only stay in detention until the age of 21 and then he would be free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I am completely against the death penalty, so I hope he is charged as a juvenile. Especially if bullying was the primary motivation. No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. Hmm. I didn't hear in any news report that he had been bullied. And if he had been bullied, don't you think he probably would have been targeting his tormentors? He told police he chose random targets. What I did hear in news reports is that this kid has been in trouble more than once before. I think it would be horrible for "bad" kids to use "bullying" as an excuse for randomly killing other kids. And, yes, I was seriously bullied in elementary school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrub Jay Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I thought he did not know these teens that he shot? I haven't read anything about bullying, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I think the kid is a loon myself, but I'm not prosecuting the case. I don't remember his age. Personally I believe 16 is old enough to be tried as an adult. 15 is not. Regardless of the crime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 A lawyer I heard last night said that it is customary that a juvenile first be charged as a juvenile (due to the holding process I believe?) but that Ohio law requires anyone over the age of 16 be tried as an adult if crime involved a firearm. My guess is they are waiting for all victims to stabilize (maybe they have I don't know) before official charges are filed. So that the correct charges are filed (felony assault vs homicide). Or perhaps they are looking for proof of intent to make a homicide vs murder charge, etc. I believe they already have enough evidence to say he was sane at the time. I have not heard of bullying either in this case. In fact they said he was doing great at the alternative school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I thought he'd been bullied. Is it possible that there are so many school shootings now that I'm mixing them up? :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I thought he'd been bullied. Is it possible that there are so many school shootings now that I'm mixing them up? :( So true. This is the only one I've even half kept up with so the bullying thing could have just started (being reported that is). All of the initial questions to neighbors and others that knew him said no. However, now that he has a lawyer I suspect they'll leak lots of stories that lend sympathy to their client. In other shootings it was clear hours after the crime that they were bullied or troubled kids....so I'll have a hard time believing it if this one gets that sort of spin. I am interested in hearing if he was on or coming off any depression meds. Someone posted (or did i see it on the news?) about the statistics of these sorts of crimes having mostly been committed by current or detoxing patients. If that gets much play I can see Eli Lilly (is that the company name?) gearing up for their own trial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 So true. This is the only one I've even half kept up with so the bullying thing could have just started (being reported that is). All of the initial questions to neighbors and others that knew him said no. However, now that he has a lawyer I suspect they'll leak lots of stories that lend sympathy to their client. In other shootings it was clear hours after the crime that they were bullied or troubled kids....so I'll have a hard time believing it if this one gets that sort of spin. I am interested in hearing if he was on or coming off any depression meds. Someone posted (or did i see it on the news?) about the statistics of these sorts of crimes having mostly been committed by current or detoxing patients. If that gets much play I can see Eli Lilly (is that the company name?) gearing up for their own trial. Thanks, Sarah. I'm really bothered that this isn't the current case I'm thinking of. So now I don't know what happened in Ohio, and I don't know where it was that I read about a bullied kid specifically targeting the bullies. Very upsetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyMSews Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I don't agree with the idea that there is some predetermined precise point in time when a person's thinking goes from juvenile to adult...a point that is exactly the same for each person. I think it's a good thing that courts have the option to try some teens as juveniles and some as adults...after determining where that individual person's maturity and thought processes are on the continuum between childhood and adulthood. I also don't agree with a defense based on being bullied or teased. I was teased (maybe even bullied, depending on the definition) in elementary and middle school and never felt the least desire to kill anyone over it. And this was back in the 70's when the 'anti-bullying program' consisted of me being told to ignore those people and they'll stop doing it. Excusing horrible crimes because someone is bullied is opening a door best left closed. We already have too many people in our country trying to blame their problems on someone else. In this case, from what I've read about the boy, I think the boy should be charged as an adult. Now, if he was 12 or 14, then I'd say juvenile. But from about 15 to 17, I'm glad most courts have the ability to pick the correct option on a case by case basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 It looks like the students and the prosecutors have differing stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I think you can know someone and have no relationship with someone too. (a victim's mom said they had no relationship but friends saying they all knew each other). I can think of people I would say that about. And what was in that article didn't sound like bullying....it sounded typical teenager-ish to me. It didn't sound like an on going problem that was obvious bullying anyway. All that to say the article doesn't seem to make a clear case for one thing or another to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Maybe I missed seeing someone mention this, but usually an important consideration is how likely it is that the person can be rehabilitated. If you have a good prosecutor, there are a lot of factors that are considered: is the person remorseful, were they influenced by an older person, is it a first offense, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Problem I have w/charging someone as a youth comes from witnessing a situation as a friend of the family of the offender. He was 15...and a s*xual predator. He preyed on his younger sibs, and expanded to neighbourhood children. He threatened them w/violence, death threats, gave them a 'taste' of what he'd do to them if they told. His youngest known victim was his sister, who was 2 when it first started. He went into a treatment program for child s*x offenders. At 18, he's out. No record. The therapists told the mother that they have no doubt he'd reoffend, but he'd be smarter next time about it, harder to catch...and chances are, would kill his victims. But...there's nothing they can do to keep him locked up. As long as he says the right things, participates in the program, he's out. They cannot keep him for what he *might* do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Hmm. I didn't hear in any news report that he had been bullied. And if he had been bullied, don't you think he probably would have been targeting his tormentors? He told police he chose random targets. What I did hear in news reports is that this kid has been in trouble more than once before. I think it would be horrible for "bad" kids to use "bullying" as an excuse for randomly killing other kids. And, yes, I was seriously bullied in elementary school. I don't know, the one I was hearing about said that he'd specifically targeted a table where a certain group of boys was sitting, and that bullying had been a factor. Either I'm mixing up different events or there have been conflicting news reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I am completely against the death penalty, so I hope he is charged as a juvenile. Especially if bullying was the primary motivation. No child who has been bullied to the point of insanity should ever be put to death. Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I also don't agree with a defense based on being bullied or teased. I was teased (maybe even bullied, depending on the definition) in elementary and middle school and never felt the least desire to kill anyone over it. And this was back in the 70's when the 'anti-bullying program' consisted of me being told to ignore those people and they'll stop doing it. Excusing horrible crimes because someone is bullied is opening a door best left closed. We already have too many people in our country trying to blame their problems on someone else. I see where you're coming from, but I think maybe you're also underestimating the level of brutality in the bullying that goes on now. Many times, it isn't just a bit of teasing. It's full-blown physical and sexual assault, day after day, along with psychological torment. And in so many cases, if the student does tell on the kids, the school does basically nothing, the bullies find out, and it only gets worse. So they just have to endure it, until they reach the point where they just can't anymore. And because the adults in their life have done nothing, these broken kids feel like they have to do something themselves. If a parent were to beat and violate their child for years on end and the child finally shot the parent, we'd call it self-defense. If it's another child committing the abuse, we call it murder. I'm not trying to justify one student shooting another, obviously, because it's a horrific and tragic situation for everyone. But we do need to criminally prosecute the students doing the bullying in the first place, or it's never going to stop. I don't know if this was the specific situation in this case (whichever one we're talking about) but it happens every single day, and things are just going to keep getting worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Why don't we ask his three youthful victims who will never celebrate another day with their families? 17 is old enough to know right from wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 It sounds like one of the kids that was shot was seeing the ex-girlfriend of the shooter: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=15834378 I wonder why the other kids were shot? Were they just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe they were friends of the victim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Doesn't matter...he's either getting away from a bad home life and into a better place or he's getting a lifetime of supervision that he needs for mental illness. Says a lot about our society that kids have no escape hatch until they do something heinous. A "bad life" is not an excuse. The kids that he murdered will not be getting a lifetime of anything. It is outrageous that he should be tried as a child and says a lot about our society that there should be any feeling for him beyond pure loathing and a strong wish to ensure that he never breath free air again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 (edited) I want him to be charged as a juvenile and receive the services he'd be eligible for as a juv. In my experience, once you get into the adult system, it's rare for the PTB to give a crap. This young man/old kid needs extensive, extensive therapy, IMO. Consequences, yes, but help, yes too. Yes. So heartbreaking for all involved. Edited March 3, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Why don't we ask his three youthful victims who will never celebrate another day with their families? 17 is old enough to know right from wrong. A "bad life" is not an excuse. The kids that he murdered will not be getting a lifetime of anything. It is outrageous that he should be tried as a child and says a lot about our society that there should be any feeling for him beyond pure loathing and a strong wish to ensure that he never breath free air again. :iagree: Bullied or not. There is NO excuse for this. NONE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I fully agree. Early news reports said he'd been bullied, then I read that he told police he was not targeting anyone specifically. Who knows.... We have too many children(yes, he's still a kid) in this country with mental problems who are somehow getting overlooked, and it's all coming back to bite us. :iagree::iagree::iagree: I'm glad they are charging this kid as a well, KID. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 According to the Geauga County Prosecutor, this was a random act of violence. The kids were all sitting in the cafeteria - some were waiting for buses to transport them to different schools. The shooter did not even attend Chardon High School - he lived in the Chardon school district, but attended an alternative school for those with behavioral issues. He had an aide and a mental health professional assigned to his case. Also, according to the news reports here, his case will be moved to criminal court and he will be tried as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I see where you're coming from, but I think maybe you're also underestimating the level of brutality in the bullying that goes on now. Many times, it isn't just a bit of teasing. It's full-blown physical and sexual assault, day after day, along with psychological torment. And in so many cases, if the student does tell on the kids, the school does basically nothing, the bullies find out, and it only gets worse. So they just have to endure it, until they reach the point where they just can't anymore. And because the adults in their life have done nothing, these broken kids feel like they have to do something themselves. If a parent were to beat and violate their child for years on end and the child finally shot the parent, we'd call it self-defense. If it's another child committing the abuse, we call it murder. I'm not trying to justify one student shooting another, obviously, because it's a horrific and tragic situation for everyone. But we do need to criminally prosecute the students doing the bullying in the first place, or it's never going to stop. I don't know if this was the specific situation in this case (whichever one we're talking about) but it happens every single day, and things are just going to keep getting worse. :iagree: And often times bullying doesn't stop at school these days. With cell phones, facebook, email, texting ... it continues 24x7. I don't think people understand how much bullying has changed in the last 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 According to the Geauga County Prosecutor, this was a random act of violence. The kids were all sitting in the cafeteria - some were waiting for buses to transport them to different schools. The shooter did not even attend Chardon High School - he lived in the Chardon school district, but attended an alternative school for those with behavioral issues. He had an aide and a mental health professional assigned to his case. Also, according to the news reports here, his case will be moved to criminal court and he will be tried as an adult. Sadly, father violence is not infrequently transferred to sons, without a speck of an emotional relationship. I am betting this kid will be "in the system" for a long time. If he did okay and then started to tank in mid-high school, I'd bet 100$ he'll have a diagnosis of schizophrenia of some type by age 30. I read these histories all the time. It is heart breaking for the families whose happy, involved kids spiral into paranoia and social withdrawal. They bring in photos of terribly normal 10 year olds excelling at something, smiles galore. Now they have a monosyllabic 22 year old who cares little for anything, least of all himself. Mental illness is the pits. Maybe families and schools need to read fb more. The die all of you comments was a warning in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 says a lot about our society that there should be any feeling for him beyond pure loathing . Glad you know him so well to be able to make that judgment. I personally don't. It's one thing to want justice to be done and a person removed from where they can harm others. It's another to believe he deserves nothing but pure loathing when you don't know him or anything about his situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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