NC - James, 52, & Alison Sapikowski, 49, murdered, Chapel Hill, 28 April 2005

Athlete charged in parents' shotgun deaths


Another weird crime out of the Durham area. From the article linked above;

I added the emphasis.

Thanks for posting this, Mister...I was just read the story on another website.

We seem to be living in a world where taking someone's life is an "easy out" to fix whatever your particular problem of the day is.

lisalou said:

Thanks for posting this, Mister...I was just read the story on another website.

We seem to be living in a world where taking someone's life is an "easy out" to fix whatever your particular problem of the day is.

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Here's more -- it's my own article;

Chapel Hill Teen Athlete Sapikowski Charged In Parents' Murder

I agree with you, but in this case, it's looking like the kid might be off his rocker.

I've written a blog entry about this case;

http://www.planethuff.com/darkside/archives/000738.html

In a twist that is really ironic and sad to me, the Sapikowskis were used as characters in a childrens book in the early 2000s. Adam and his sister were the kids in the book.

..."offs" his parents...and the motive is???

Probably something typical vis a vis these cases, like....they insisted he do chores, or....they didn't let him drive the Escalade....or they grounded him for being a brat and he couldn't hang out with his friends...

Here are my random thoughts...

...makes me proud to have grown up in a 900 square foot house with parents who made me do chores....where I thought getting a couple of new dresses from Sears for school was the most "huge deal"...To supplment my meager allowance, i.e., for extra money to buy candy and the occasional comic book, snaps and caps for my cap gun, I would return bottles, or search the chair my father sat in every night when he came home for spare change...I carried my supplies to school in a cigar box from my grandfather...started babysitting when I was 8....got my first "real" job at 12...was a straight-A student with supportive parents, not parents who micro-managed and did my projects for me...never owned a car until I was 27....had a bicycle instead, but bought my first house when I was 24...did every type of odd job you can think of in high school and college, from detassling corn to translating documents, to accompanying opera singers at the university for money, baked bread for a restaurant, babysat, tutored, you name it, I did it...

Mr. Allgood...I really appreciate all of the work you do to bring these cases to our attention and to provide brilliant commentary on them...sadly, I don't think this kid was "off his rocker" (it would actually be somewhat easier to deal with if he were) any more than the Menendez brothers or the Columbine killers....no, far from it...It's much scarier than that actually....Rather, I think that these are kids who are so spoiled and self-centered that they have no boundaries whatsoever...In other words they feel that they are entitled to, and will do anything they can to achieve a desired end...The proverbial "terrible two year old" with a gun...The kids with parents who want to be their friennndddsss out of some tremendous guilt they have, rather than their parents...(OK, I'm getting nauseous now, I have to stop...)

Scary ...my kids see kids like this from time-to-time, and are scared out of their minds by them...

...This rant is, of course, my opinion only...

cappuccina said:

..."offs" his parents...and the motive is???


Rather, I think that these are kids who are so spoiled and self-centered that they have no boundaries whatsoever...In other words they feel that they are entitled to, and will do anything they can to achieve a desired end...The proverbial "terrible two year old" with a gun...The kids with parents who want to be their friennndddsss out of some tremendous guilt they have, rather than their parents...(OK, I'm getting nauseous now, I have to stop...)

Scary ...my kids see kids like this from time-to-time, and are scared out of their minds by them...

...This rant is, of course, my opinion only...

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You know, maybe I'm just not thinking clearly this morning (after all, I'm still on my first cup of much-needed coffee!), but it seems to me that a LOT of these "kids killing parents" cases involve very affluent families.

I can't seem to think of any cases of some poor kid "offing" his parents. I understand "why" parents want to give their kids all the good things they never had (heck, I struggle with that myself, sometimes), but really...seems like we're doing them more harm than good.

One of my best friends growing up was from a very wealthy family. She got a new wardrobe every year before the new school year started and she did not grow up to kill her parents. I also have another very good friend who grew up with money. Both his parents drove Jags they had the finest of everything. They also owned their own manufacturing plant. On the weekends this friend was at the plant working on forklifts or doing whatever else needed to be done in the way of manual labor and he turned out just fine. He went to college, got an engineering degree and is back at the plant, still working on the forklifts on the weekends. It's not just money, it about what you instill in your kids and you can instill good values in a home with a lot of money just as easily as you can in a working class one. So before we put the idea in folks heads that growing up with a lot of money = parent killer let's just take a look at some things.

In this area about 2 years ago there was a kid around Oxford or Kittrell, NC who killed his parents and he was NOT from an affulent home by any means. I think there are numerous examples of this. The kid in SC that killed his grandparents he was living with. Again, not affluent.

Thanks for letting me give my :twocents: worth.

The case I referenced actually involved twin boys in 1999....

Henderson, N.C.
Twins plead responsible to killing father - Eleven-year-old twins admitted Monday they fatally shot their father and wounded their mother and sister four months ago.
I was raised in the area. They were far from affluent.

See? I knew it couldn't be just rich kids.

I fully believe in the freedom of responsible adults to own guns. I am not trying to pass on the issues of personal responsibility, but it seems that the current generation of teens expects instant gratification, have a very low tolerance for frustration and anger, and are not taught or just do not learn to express their feelings and needs. In certain areas of the country such as NC and the SE, gun ownership is a matter of pride passed from generation to generation. IF the weapons were not accessible to minors, would they grab an up close and more personal knife? I doubt it, in most cases.

The teens of today are, in my opinion, the most action oriented generation ever, thanks to movies, instant communication, great transportation.. Kids start leaving home after school in grade school now and don't come home until close to bedtime.

Add that to the ever-present nature of children and teens to be impulsive and it's almost a recipe for murder. Anger + Impulsive Action + Gun at hand = Death.
Teens lack the maturity of experience to see that the action of this moment can have everlasting consequences.

...the "Columbine" types of kids, i.e., money + material spoiling with no boundaries + lots of time alone + no responsibility + no conscience + access to guns/weapons = BIG TROUBLE...

I'll never forget my utter disbelief at the Harris and Kliebold parents who said that they were not aware of the stash of firearms and weapons that these kids had, nor, apparently were they aware that these monsters were building bombs and other incendiary devices in the garage...

WTF???

...I am not a perfect person or a perfect parent by any means, nor are my kdis perfect....However, I think I would know if my kids were building this type of in the garage!

It would be interesting to look at socioeconomic background with regard to these types of cases...I'm not saying that poor kids never do this....However, there seems, at least at present, to be more of the affluent ones making the news...

I remember how cautious my dad was with us when we were growing up. He hunted, but his guns were locked in a large gun safe.

When my children were small, there were NO guns in our home.. we really didn't have the money to buy them, first off, and we also didn't see the need as we lived in a suburban area where hunting was not done.
We also learned that a homeowner's gun is more often turned against him or her by a thief, rapist, or other home intruder than not.

As our children grew older, we make as certain as possible that we KNOW what their friends' parents home gun safety practices are.

It's a great deal about parental and generational attitudes towards the ownership of weapons, and the urgency with which the parents teach children that guns kill forever- there is no going back once the trigger has been pulled.
I tought my children to be terrified of guns.. to do the same thing they would do in a fire. Stop, drop and get the hell out of any place where a gun showed up. It's been effective. I'm still here and so are they.

cappuccina said:

...the "Columbine" types of kids, i.e., money + material spoiling with no boundaries + lots of time alone + no responsibility + no conscience + access to guns/weapons = BIG TROUBLE...

I'll never forget my utter disbelief at the Harris and Kliebold parents who said that they were not aware of the stash of firearms and weapons that these kids had, nor, apparently were they aware that these monsters were building bombs and other incendiary devices in the garage...

WTF???

...I am not a perfect person or a perfect parent by any means, nor are my kdis perfect....However, I think I would know if my kids were building this type of in the garage!

It would be interesting to look at socioeconomic background with regard to these types of cases...I'm not saying that poor kids never do this....However, there seems, at least at present, to be more of the affluent ones making the news...

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Your post raises some troubling questions about a priveleged child's sense of entitlement and lack of boundaries. The same characteristics which we call " sociopathic" in an adult.

Thinkoflaura said:

Your post raises some troubling questions about a priveleged child's sense of entitlement and lack of boundaries. The same characteristics which we call " sociopathic" in an adult.

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I have this theory...what I call the "Hollywood Theory" -- that deals with why so many celebrities are so screwed up, and I think it pertains to these type of kids as well. I think you hit the nail on the head...."sense of entitlement/lack of boundaries". Celebrities have everything they could possibly want at their beck and call -- sexual partners, food, money, fast cars, etc. Because there's such an abundance of everything they could possibly want, they get desensitized, and need a bigger fix to satisfy themselves (maybe it's a different type of sexual partner, or some type of sexual deviance, more or different drugs, bigger cars, more houses).

I'm not saying all rich kids who want for nothing grow up to murder their parents. There sure seem to be a lot lately, though. Then again, we have the media to thank for that. All we know is what they tell us.

Get a load of this!!

"CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A 16-year-old boy was accused of shooting his wealthy parents to death in the family home, the same weekend he attended his high school prom. "

More http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050518/ap_on_re_us/son_charged_prom

PrayersForMaura said:

Get a load of this!!

"CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A 16-year-old boy was accused of shooting his wealthy parents to death in the family home, the same weekend he attended his high school prom. "

More http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050518/ap_on_re_us/son_charged_prom

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Precisely when they were killed was still under investigation, but Jarvies said evidence showed it was sometime the weekend of April 29.

Adam was at the prom April 30, according to police. Jarvies said there was an unconfirmed report that he had a small party in the home after the dance.


......partied while his parents lay dead in the home.....my God...

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/S...SJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782789959

If he gets found not guilty by reason of insanity, I will puke...How much d'yall wanna bet that he killed them in the first place, 'cause they were fighting about the prom, and whether he could go/have his friends over, etc.??

cappuccina said:

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/S...SJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782789959

If he gets found not guilty by reason of insanity, I will puke...How much d'yall wanna bet that he killed them in the first place, 'cause they were fighting about the prom, and whether he could go/have his friends over, etc.??

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Won't happen. He covered up the murders, thus knowing the dif between right and wrong. He's a gonner.

How about movies, video's, songs, that glorify violence.

Parents let their young children watch violent movies with them and somehow "think" that this will not effect a young person.

Then the kid grows up on a "diet" of violence. Gun violence........

It comes down to parental and personal responsibility.

The fact that this kid is an athlete, affluent, has bearing.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156964,00.html
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A 16-year-old boy was accused of shooting his wealthy parents to death in the family home, the same weekend he attended his high school prom.
Businessman James Sapikowski (search), 52, and Alison Powell Sapikowski, 49, were found dead early Saturday, authorities said. It appeared they had been dead for up to two weeks.


Very sad story (if there is a thread about this case already, please move or delete this post or OM and I will delete.)