GUILTY WA - James Garrett, 63, shot to death, Yakima, 27 Dec 2005

Teen likely to be tried as an adult

http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/329982528957510

Liz said:

Teen likely to be tried as an adult

http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/329982528957510

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Dang, that is just what I was hoping would not happen!
This was a kid, one who likely was still trying to work out his his own sexuality, and this guy threw a jolt to it. He reacted as a kid! He should be put through the juvy system, not the adult system!

KatherineQ said:

Amraan - I understand what you are saying, but I keep thinking of my own son.

If a 50 year old man came on to him, I believe firmly in my heart he would rebuff the man, and walk out, and leave, and that would be that, and hopefully he would tell us. But maybe he'd be too embarrassed to admit it and would instead never return to that man's house. I would be mortified if my son got a gun and killed a man who initiated an interest in sex and then backed off when he was rejected. I don't want a boy like that - who would kill someone over a misunderstood homosexual advance. I wouldn't ever trust a boy like that ever ever again, and would fear he would kill other people over embarrassing misunderstandings. I'm not the least bit sad this boy is charged with second degree murder, and a jury can give this a really close look and decide what is right.

My 16 year old can drive, and is often out in the world by himself. If a man comes on to him, and my son rebuffs the advance, and the man takes no for an answer, I think murder is out of the question as a response.

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This guy is a known sex offender. How do we know he accepted no as an answer??? Obviously something made this kid snap. I know if a man came up and tried to assault/rape me, he'd be shot right where he wouldn't be able to use it again and if it killed him, so be it!! Doesn't mean I'd kill someone who tried to "initiate" sex with me and accepted a no. We don't know what this kid has been through. I'm sure he needs some serious help, but jail??? Uh uh....

Well, let's not forget that he's not even had a trial yet. A whole big history of all sorts of things may come out. Even if convicted, we don't know what the sentence will be. If this kid has been though so much in his short life that he's willing to take lives in order to prevent something more from happening, he needs help. Maybe, just maybe, they can find that help for him. Prison isn't always San Quentin. There ARE facilities where young people can receive counselling and skills training. Hang in there and let's find out what happens.

Tranaice said:

This guy is a known sex offender. How do we know he accepted no as an answer??? Obviously something made this kid snap. I know if a man came up and tried to assault/rape me, he'd be shot right where he wouldn't be able to use it again and if it killed him, so be it!! Doesn't mean I'd kill someone who tried to "initiate" sex with me and accepted a no. We don't know what this kid has been through. I'm sure he needs some serious help, but jail??? Uh uh....

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The boy's juvenile history reads like most troubled boys who end up falling prey to fixated pedophiles (which the sex offender clearly was). Too bad the dead guy's probie/p.o. didn't both to do a serch of his hoem for kiddy *advertiser censored*, or he'd be alive in prison right now, not dead at the hands of a teenaged boy.

BillyGoatGruff said:

The boy's juvenile history reads like most troubled boys who end up falling prey to fixated pedophiles (which the sex offender clearly was). Too bad the dead guy's probie/p.o. didn't both to do a serch of his hoem for kiddy *advertiser censored*, or he'd be alive in prison right now, not dead at the hands of a teenaged boy.

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Maybe other victims will come forward.

A teenager who had been arrested in the shooting and wounding of a good Samaritan was inexplicably released from detention and is now charged with a killing another man, Yakima County officials say.

Bail was set Wednesday at $800,000 on Joshua Collett, 16, charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the shooting death of James Garrett, 53, on Dec. 27 and with the robbery of a taco truck on Nov. 11.

Police said Collett had at least one sexual encounter with Garrett in the days before the shooting but had not established a motive.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Murder_Charged.html

maybe the victim was known for dropping money on teen boys and young men who he was trying to woo or sleep with. it sounds like the teen might have a drug problem, i'm not sure what else would cause a 16-year old to rob a taco stand. i also wonder if he was staying with the victim after being released from jail. it would explain why he was there so early in the morning. was he living with parents or a guardian before the arrest or was he homeless? he could have participated willingly in sexual activity over a course of a few days or weeks in order to extort money, food, shelter, or drugs from the victim. he could have killed him after being discovered, it could have been a robbery gone wrong, or the kid could be sociopathic or extremely high on drugs at the time.

i totally understand why posters have disdain for the victim, but from the consent laws posted it does not seem as though he broke any laws in this case. and even if he did, vigilante justice, no matter how emotionally appealing, is not the right way to handle crime. i also think it's important that we, as a community of websleuths , try to avoid knee jerk reactions and strive to make judgements based on facts. often things are exactly as they seem, but sometimes there is more going on then what is initially released.

just my :twocents:

CapitanExposition, I understand appreciate your point of view. While most of us here do not approve of or promote vigilantism, the problems with sex offenders has kinda rubbed us raw. And the way they are being handled in the courts doesn't help. You are right, it was a knee jerk reaction. And with the factors included in this particular kids background, well he seemed pretty troubled.
But, while I may in reality actually disapprove of vigilantism, I can't say I am real sorry the guy was killed. JMO.

Perhaps in addition to some sort of chemical abuse problem, he's got a problem accepting his sexuality. I've heard of cases where guys feel ashamed of their actions and just want to do away with the person they were intimate with. Its a shame, but society still isn't where it should be with regards to acceptance.

Hi mysteriew! Personally, I have a very low level of sympathy for the victim in this case. I do believe however, that if he was breaking the law he should have faced consequences within the system, and if the law or the system itself is flawed it is our responsibility as citizens to lobby for the necessary changes. So many people in this web community feel so strongly about the safety of children, I think that if we were able to direct that passion politically real change could be effected. Sorry to derail, I guess I'm just a big believer in working within the system.

Anyway, the victim was a total . Level II offender, child molester. I think this is his sex offender profile if anyone is interested:

http://ml.waspc.org/offender.aspx?p...&address=4xx S 18th AV&city=Yakima &zip=98902

Sometimes, both can be in the wrong. Sounds like the teenager was very troubled, and had a criminal history - as did the sex offender.

Jeana (DP) said:

Perhaps in addition to some sort of chemical abuse problem, he's got a problem accepting his sexuality. I've heard of cases where guys feel ashamed of their actions and just want to do away with the person they were intimate with. Its a shame, but society still isn't where it should be with regards to acceptance.

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I suspect that guys like that were sexual abuse victims first, possibly gay later. If your natural orientation is gay, but you associate it with rape/molestation/exploitation, then the negative mental connotations have to be fairly significant.

From December 2006:

http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=4&section_id=603&story_id=6989

A Yakima teen-ager who killed a registered sex offender has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

Seventeen-year-old Joshua J. Collett pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter..

Collett received a sentence of less than four years for manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of assault for wounding a man after robbing a taco truck. He was sentenced yesterday to the longer, ten-year term, for the assault.

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