GUILTY IN - Grace Ross, 6, found dead; Boy, 14, taken into custody, New Carlisle, 12 Mar 2021

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imstilla.grandma said:
Yes. What you say is true. My mama called the police so many times for help as he was beating her so bad. We tried to yell and scream at him, then he would go after us. Mama would beg us to be quiet, that we were making it worse. I fought back as hard as I could. So did my little brother. The policemen would come in and just tell him to settle down. That he was scaring his kids. Tell him to quit arguing with his wife. How could they just leave us there alone with him? My mom had her hair pulled out, it was laying on the couch one time and they didn’t even care, We would hide behind the couch, there were five us back then 55+ years ago. Gosh, triggers...
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I would say you are built of steel to have overcome and survived so much fear, hurt and anger, but I know better. Your will to rise above it all must have been what made you tuff and caring at the same time. SMH.
A Soft Rock you are, my friend. That's why we love you. ;)
 
I was wondering about jury selection for this trial, but now I see that St. Joseph County should afford a good number of candidates.
I'm assuming that the trial and jury selection is done by county, as all states do for non Federal trials, AFAIK.

About New Carlisle, IN:
New Carlisle is a suburban town in Olive Township, St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,861 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Wikipedia
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About St. Joseph County, IN:
St. Joseph County, commonly called St. Joe County by locals, is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of Census 2010, the population was 266,931, making it the fifth-most populous county in Indiana. Formed in 1830, it was named for the St. Joseph River which flows through it to Lake Michigan. Wikipedia
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County Seat is South Bend, IN
 
ChatteringBirds said:
Poor poor Grace and her family.

I think there should be a way to try teenagers as juveniles yet still ensure they aren't released free-and-clear as young adults to harm again.

Does graphic media play a role in violence by youth? I think absolutely. And many spend hours a day online or streaming films. I bet this murderer has a cell phone and accessed tons of garbage on it. A part of his mind normalized it enough to act it out.

I also believe the more people are online, the less they bond with other people, and that it's especially harmful for youth, since their brains aren't matured. Add to that literally endless online videos and free Apps full of weapons and violence nowadays!
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Good post and good points, @ChatteringBirds. IMO, your points are well-taken, scary to contemplate in some situations, and they do explain some things happening to our youth and our population at large.
Folks handle living in this type world in so many different ways -- positively and negatively. So much depends on family, upbringing, attitudes, have-and-have-not situations, love, fear, skin-color, wealth or lack of it, etc., etc., and whatever other things I have forgotten to list.
We must do better...
 
borndem said:
I would say you are built of steel to have overcome and survived so much fear, hurt and anger, but I know better. Your will to rise above it all must have been what made you tuff and caring at the same time. SMH.
A Soft Rock you are, my friend. That's why we love you. ;)
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Couldn’t agree more @borndem
@imstilla.grandma- you are amazing and you have a natural empathy and you are ferocious in wanting to right the wrongs on behalf of the victims and your kindness keeps on giving. You are what your life has made you and a sum of all that you have overcome my friend and you are more special than I think that you will ever realise . Hugs hugs and more hugs xx
 
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - A 15-year-old boy accused of molesting and killing 6-year-old Grace Ross of New Carlisle was back in court Monday.

A decision on whether or not the case will be moved from juvenile court to adult court was not made. In order for that to happen, a waiver hearing must be held, which has yet to take place.

Trial for this case was set for this Thursday and Friday. Instead, that has now been delayed.

Trial delayed for teen charged in death of 6-year-old Grace Ross, decision to move case to adult court looms
 
This is an article from earlier in December but explains more about what will happen if this case is moved out of juvenile court:

Boy accused of killing 6-year-old Grace Ross could be tried as adult

Fronk (the prosecutor) said the prosecutor's office weighed the safety and sense of justice for the community against the needs of the defendant before moving to try the boy as an adult.

[Snip]

Even if convicted as an adult, Fronk said a superior court judge could decide to sentence the boy based on juvenile sentencing guidelines.

[Snip]

Hearings and records in superior (adult) court are public, while some hearings and records in probate (juvenile) court are confidential by law.

If Polando (the magistrate) decides to keep the case in probate court, the case could still go to trial, though trials for juveniles are decided by the presiding magistrate as opposed to a jury.
 
katydid23 said:
I agree. When a person, of any age, outright murders a child, in cold blood, they need to be kept away from the rest of society, for everyone's safety.
This perpetrator could have been back on the street in 5 or 6 years if he was tried in juvenile court. :eek:
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Exactly. As a previous article mentioned, from back before this decision had been made,
so much more was at stake than just "is what he did serious enough to be considered an adult crime" or "does he deserve it." The move to superior court allows much more flexibility for sentencing if/when he is found guilty, how he will be housed (both for others' safety AND for his own), how long his treatment may be, etc.
 
wsbt.com

Teen charged in 6-year-old girl's murder to be mentally evaluated

The teen charged in the death of Grace Ross will now undergo psychological examinations. Anthony Hutchens' attorney filed paperwork to have him declared legally insane at the time of the murder. A St. Joseph County judge is having 2 doctors evaluate him. He's currently being held at a juvenile...
wsbt.com wsbt.com
 
Thanks for the update, @JerseyGirl -- so glad things are moving along.
A bench trial -- hmmmm. Only one person to decide rather than 12 (or however many make up a jury trial in Indiana).
We'll see what happens -- September (if that date sticks) is just around the corner.

How could he? How.could.he?
 
I don’t recall this:

www.abc57.com

Grace Ross murder suspect being tried as an adult

The teen who has been charged with killing 6-year-old Grace Ross in New Carlisle last March will be tried as an adult, according to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office.
www.abc57.com www.abc57.com
“It was revealed Hutchens has Autism Spectrum Disorder and he functions at a lower level than his peers. Hutchens has rejected attempts at interventions for his condition, the court said, so his disorder is not sufficient to keep him in the juvenile justice system…”
 
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