Missouri, St. Louis - Teenage girl critically injured after brutal fight with another female teen near Hazelwood East High School, 8 March 2024

[tlcya]

Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim

Kaylee Gain, 16, suffered a skull fracture when her head was repeatedly smashed into the ground during a brawl near her St. Louis high school earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I have no knowledge if the young lady we saw on the video attacking and beating Kaylee has been bullied by Kaylee or anyone else. I have no idea if there is any truth to the accused being an honor roll student who speaks four languages.

All I know is what I saw on that video, that police have charged the accused, and that Kaylee is fighting for her very survival in hospital. If there are mitigators for the accused they will come out in the trial and will be given to the judge for consideration.

This 'one mistake made under duress' had very real, serious and ongoing consequences. I will see what the judicial system does with this case. I will not be donating to assist with the legal fees of the alleged "real victim"'. pfft

 

[PrairieWind]

Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim

Kaylee Gain, 16, suffered a skull fracture when her head was repeatedly smashed into the ground during a brawl near her St. Louis high school earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"But the girl's family says she 'deserves amnesty and a chance at forgiveness', "
The use of the word "amnesty" is odd.

 

[Allabouttrial]

"But the girl's family says she 'deserves amnesty and a chance at forgiveness', "
The use of the word "amnesty" is odd.

They do seem to be quoting from change.org in their article and the words 'amnesty' nor 'forgiveness' appear there, just a chance at not being charged as an adult in the hopes of a chance at rehabilitation.

 

[Allabouttrial]

I have no knowledge if the young lady we saw on the video attacking and beating Kaylee has been bullied by Kaylee or anyone else. I have no idea if there is any truth to the accused being an honor roll student who speaks four languages.

All I know is what I saw on that video, that police have charged the accused, and that Kaylee is fighting for her very survival in hospital. If there are mitigators for the accused they will come out in the trial and will be given to the judge for consideration.

This 'one mistake made under duress' had very real, serious and ongoing consequences. I will see what the judicial system does with this case. I will not be donating to assist with the legal fees of the alleged "real victim"'. pfft

I think it's more of a plea for her not be charged as an adult rather than the charges themselves.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I think it's more of a plea for her not be charged as an adult rather than the charges themselves.

That's what I took from it too. They just want the circumstances leading up to the incident to be taken into consideration.

I think that's a reasonable thing for them to request.

 

[al66pine]

Petition Seeks "Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation"

Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim

Kaylee Gain, 16, suffered a skull fracture when her head was repeatedly smashed into the ground during a brawl near her St. Louis high school earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

1. DM ARTICLE* refers to an online petition at another website, calling ---
"on the St Louis Juvenile Court to show 'compassion' to the schoolgirl..."

2. PETITION on that other website (which I’m not identifying) names a person who started petition but does not provide the person's relationship to assailant. Family? IDK.

--- Petition praises her school & extracurricular activities & accomplishments and says: "Her work as a scholar was tainted by the bullying she had to endure at school."

---Petition: "We ask that the Juvenile Court use a combination of Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation methods instead of only using punitive measures to address the harm that occurred."

--- Petition: "We urge Chief Juvenile Officer Rick Gaines of the 21st Circuit Court not to charge [_____] as an adult." **

______________________________________
* Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim
** [_____] = name of assailant, my edit to comply w WS ToS.

 

[SteveP]

Petition Seeks "Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation"


1. DM ARTICLE* refers to an online petition at another website, calling ---
"on the St Louis Juvenile Court to show 'compassion' to the schoolgirl..."

2. PETITION on that other website (which I’m not identifying) names a person who started petition but does not provide the person's relationship to assailant. Family? IDK.

--- Petition praises her school & extracurricular activities & accomplishments and says: "Her work as a scholar was tainted by the bullying she had to endure at school."

---Petition: "We ask that the Juvenile Court use a combination of Restorative Justice and Rehabilitation methods instead of only using punitive measures to address the harm that occurred."

--- Petition: "We urge Chief Juvenile Officer Rick Gaines of the 21st Circuit Court not to charge [_____] as an adult." **

______________________________________
* Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim
** [_____] = name of assailant, my edit to comply w WS ToS.

I may be wrong, but it was said earlier, IIRC, that a hearing would be held "in a few weeks". My guess is there will be no decision as to whether or not to charge her as an adult until, KG 's condition has improved from critical to a condition that she likely will at least survive, or until she passes away. If she dies, the charge would almost surely be upgraded, and I would be shocked if she is not charged as an adult. JMO

 

[OceanElix]

Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim

Kaylee Gain, 16, suffered a skull fracture when her head was repeatedly smashed into the ground during a brawl near her St. Louis high school earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
Indeed, more of the story is starting to come out now. I think it's very relevant.
It does not excuse the horrific, sickening attack in any way.
Though it does appear there is more to what was initially reported.
Terrible for all involved.

 

[GRT]

Family of teen charged in Kaylee Gain case says she is the real victim

Kaylee Gain, 16, suffered a skull fracture when her head was repeatedly smashed into the ground during a brawl near her St. Louis high school earlier this month.

www.dailymail.co.uk

It's hard for me to see the attacker as a victim simply due to the amount of violence she used. The story says she'd been bullied and that she was an honor roll student, but the video shows her going beyond the claim that she was just defending herself. It honestly looks like attempted murder to me.

 

[Juvenile]

It's hard for me to see the attacker as a victim simply due to the amount of violence she used. The story says she'd been bullied and that she was an honor roll student, but the video shows her going beyond the claim that she was just defending herself. It honestly looks like attempted murder to me.

I think it’s possible that both parties are victims, but one with obviously much more severe consequences from a very violent action.

 

[Sundog]

That's what I took from it too. They just want the circumstances leading up to the incident to be taken into consideration.

I think that's a reasonable thing for them to request.

Kaylee deserves justice. There will be no justice if this case remains in Family/Juvenile Court. If there really is a case for mitigating circumstances here, it should be heard during a trial in adult court. Let a judge and jury decide if they should be taken into consideration.

JMO. No matter how many languages a person speaks doesn't strike me as relevant to the attempted murder of a fellow student.

 

[KMouse]

The aggressor's family is delusional. Whatever what words may have been said prior to this attack don't matter. The girl could have walked away but instead she chose horrific violence. I don't care how many languages she speaks or what her marks in school are. She tried to kill another person and should pay by spending the rest of her life in jail.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

They do seem to be quoting from change.org in their article and the words 'amnesty' nor 'forgiveness' appear there, just a chance at not being charged as an adult in the hopes of a chance at rehabilitation.

Chance at rehabilitation is a joke. Even if Kaylee doesn't die, she will NEVER have the life she did. Ever. Why should the person who made it happen ever see the outside of a prison cell? I don't care how many times she was on the honor roll. She robbed another person of her life. That's adult court, even if Kaylee lives.

MOO

 

[al66pine]

"One Mistake Made Under Duress"

....This 'one mistake made under duress' had very real, serious and ongoing consequences....

snipped for focus @tlcya Thx for your post quoting that phrase from the "petition."

Seeing the claimed "ONE MISTAKE" I wondered to myself whether the one mistake was-
- pushing standing Kaylee onto concrete, or
- first bash of head-into-concrete,
- second bash of head-into-concrete,
- third bash of head-into-concrete,
- ad nauseum.

Somehow, I whizzed right past the now-obviously-dubious-to-me "DURESS."
If assailant is criminally charged, per MO. statute,* she may try a Duress Defense, arguing she was --- “COERCED to do so, by the use of, or threatened imminent use of, UNLAWFUL PHYSICAL FORCE... upon... her or a third person..." <- my CAPS & sbm.

Anyone see in vid, a menacing person nearby, perhaps brandishing a firearm, knife, ready to inflict force to injure her? Or threatening to do so? I missed it.

Or was this claimed duress more in the nature of PEER PRESSURE to beat a schoolmate into traumatic brain damage & coma?


________________________________________
* "562.071. Duress. —
"1. It is an affirmative defense that the defendant engaged in the conduct charged to constitute an offense because he or she was coerced to do so, by the use of, or threatened imminent use of, unlawful physical force upon him or her or a third person, which force or threatened force a person of reasonable firmness in his situation would have been unable to resist.
 "2. The defense of "duress" as defined in subsection 1 is not available:
  "(1) As to the crime of murder;
  "(2) As to any offense when the defendant recklessly places himself or herself in a situation in which it is probable that he or she will be subjected to the force or threatened force described in subsection 1 of this section."
562.071

 

[airportwoman]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
Indeed, more of the story is starting to come out now. I think it's very relevant.
It does not excuse the horrific, sickening attack in any way.
Though it does appear there is more to what was initially reported.
Terrible for all involved.

Once again, I agree.

I came very close to being a "Kaylee" as a 7th grader. My "crime"? Dropping a pop fly in a gym class softball game. The harassment continued until I started high school, and I do not know if the parents of the girl who repeatedly threatened my life knew about any of this.

 

[mickey2942]

"Restorative Justice"? This is when both parties meet, to come to an agreement, and attempt to see the altercation from the point of view of the other party.

I don't see how or when Kaylee will be able to participate in Restorative Justice. Unfortunately, this incident seems to be far from this happening. It should be in a criminal court setting.

Consequences of poor choices.

 

[Chimera]

IF I was the relative/family of the aggressor... I'd stay silent right about now !
If Kaylee lives, she might have permanent brain damage.
That's not a shove against a wall or a sprained wrist, and no I don't mean to downplay those actions, either..
Awful.
Omo.

 

[MollyDDD]

I may be wrong, but it was said earlier, IIRC, that a hearing would be held "in a few weeks". My guess is there will be no decision as to whether or not to charge her as an adult until, KG 's condition has improved from critical to a condition that she likely will at least survive, or until she passes away. If she dies, the charge would almost surely be upgraded, and I would be shocked if she is not charged as an adult. JMO

If Kaylee survives but it permanently mentally disabled due to the attack she suffered, do you think the perpetrator should be charged as an adult or a juvenile?

 

[nightowl1975]

If Kaylee survives but it permanently mentally disabled due to the attack she suffered, do you think the perpetrator should be charged as an adult or a juvenile?

Honestly? There are some things worse than death IMO. Surviving a brain injury like this is towards the top of that list for me. So it almost seems worse if Kaylee survives. It is so unlikely IMO that there will be any meaningful, functional recovery. Both of these girls’ lives were irreparably altered that day, in less than 3 minutes… it’s unthinkable.

Regardless of why this occurred, I guess for me, the question of punishment must first address the need to keep society safe. We cannot allow people to roam about in public if they’re unable to regulate themselves under stress or anger or whatever. So with that in mind, locking her up til she’s 18 certainly wouldn’t be sufficient, nor would 21. It’s common knowledge that our frontal lobes aren’t fully developed until about age 25. Perhaps by 25, the assailant would be capable of regulating herself in public in order to be safe to society. Maybe.

 

[MollyDDD]

Honestly? There are some things worse than death IMO. Surviving a brain injury like this is towards the top of that list for me. So it almost seems worse if Kaylee survives. It is so unlikely IMO that there will be any meaningful, functional recovery. Both of these girls’ lives were irreparably altered that day, in less than 3 minutes… it’s unthinkable.

Regardless of why this occurred, I guess for me, the question of punishment must first address the need to keep society safe. We cannot allow people to roam about in public if they’re unable to regulate themselves under stress or anger or whatever. So with that in mind, locking her up til she’s 18 certainly wouldn’t be sufficient, nor would 21. It’s common knowledge that our frontal lobes aren’t fully developed until about age 25. Perhaps by 25, the assailant would be capable of regulating herself in public in order to be safe to society. Maybe.

I agree with you about living a life as a vegetable would be worse than death. I only posed the question to get a read on what people thought.
And I believe that the attacker should be charged as an adult and be incarcerated for a very long time. Her crime was heinous and her punishment should be too.