TX - Autistic boy, 8, throws twin sisters down stairs, killing one

[Nova]

you posted to fast. i was gonna say "was" ????

:blowkiss:

 

[southcitymom]

you posted to fast. i was gonna say "was" ????

Well he does live in California....so the other planet theory may well apply!:waitasec: :crazy:

 

[Nova]

Well he does live in California....so the other planet theory may well apply!:waitasec: :crazy:

Yes, I do. And I don't blame the rest of the country for being jealous.

BTW, Amraann made a great point above that the news article was written as if the State's inability to charge an 8-year-old with capital murder was some extraordinary miscarriage of justice. She's write. The author of the account should have been more careful.

 

[southcitymom]

Yes, I do. And I don't blame the rest of the country for being jealous.

BTW, Amraann made a great point above that the news article was written as if the State's inability to charge an 8-year-old with capital murder was some extraordinary miscarriage of justice. She's write. The author of the account should have been more careful.

I agree that it was a terrific point. I don't know if the reporter meant to sound that way - but it certainly did sound that way. An editor should have caught it.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

My neighbors husband came over my house one night and asked if he could sleep on my couch because he didnt want to stay home alone. He knew my husband was away on training for 30 days and his wife was in another town visiting her family for a few days. I told him no. Well....he comes back like 2 times almost begging me and then asking me if I would just meet him outside?!..ugh..pig! Anyway so one day I was on the phone talking to a friend of mine telling her about it and telling her that was why I was moving out of that duplex because neighbor guy gave me the creeps...About 10 mins. later the neighbors wife was banging on my door wanting answers because she over heard my whole conversation on her baby monitor. Ugh..I just told her the truth and moved not too long after that.

:silenced: Hope the parents who use monitors here are paying attention to your post.

 

[Kymistry35]

Good example! You are absolutely correct - a child this age, autistic or not, has no real understanding of "permanent".

I do hope all of the family members can heal in the face of this tragedy.

I disagree. My kids know what death is and that there is no coming back and my 8 year old would definately know that it could seriously injure or kill the babies if he was to toss them down steps. I am not saying that this child knew what the consequences would be because he had limited mental capacity, but a "normal" 8 yr old would.

 

[Nova]

I disagree. My kids know what death is and that there is no coming back and my 8 year old would definately know that it could seriously injure or kill the babies if he was to toss them down steps. I am not saying that this child knew what the consequences would be because he had limited mental capacity, but a "normal" 8 yr old would.

You may be right, tpp, and obviously a "normal" 8-year-old is well beyond my reasoning when I was 6.

But even though kids can talk intelligently about death, I'm not sure they understand the concept or the idea of permanent consequences in any deep manner.

There is plenty of research lately showing that even though teenagers have been educated about AIDS and drunk driving and other hazards, they don't really grasp that those calamities could befall them. Apparently it has something to do with the way our brains develop.

 

[j2mirish]

True. And how kind of you to put it that way! I expected posters to immediately insist I AM from another planet and they have always thought of me as such.

I like your planet :blowkiss: :blowkiss:

 

[j2mirish]

Yes, I do. And I don't blame the rest of the country for being jealous.

BTW, Amraann made a great point above that the news article was written as if the State's inability to charge an 8-year-old with capital murder was some extraordinary miscarriage of justice. She's write. The author of the account should have been more careful.

you mean she is right......sorry- I couldnt resist, after the sentence following the quick typing on your part :innocent: I AM NOT a part of the spelling police- :crazy:

 

[Nova]

you mean she is right......sorry- I couldnt resist, after the sentence following the quick typing on your part :innocent: I AM NOT a part of the spelling police- :crazy:

You may not know it but there's also a lengthy convo in the Jury Room about typing errors and how I can't decide whether it's better to leave the spelling errors in a quote or fix them (so as not to call attention to them).

So my error here is doubly ironic! And four times as funny! Thanks. :crazy:

 

[j2mirish]

I disagree. My kids know what death is and that there is no coming back and my 8 year old would definately know that it could seriously injure or kill the babies if he was to toss them down steps. I am not saying that this child knew what the consequences would be because he had limited mental capacity, but a "normal" 8 yr old would.

but I dont believe we are talking about a "normal" 8 year old here, and although I hope when my "normal" children were 8, they would know the difference, just as you state yours do, I would hate to be involved in a situation like this where it was purlely and accident, and have an 8 year old brought up on charges- dont get me wrong- I cant imagine being in these parents shoes...WOW

 

[j2mirish]

You may not know it but there's also a lengthy convo in the Jury Room about typing errors and how I can't decide whether it's better to leave the spelling errors in a quote or fix them (so as not to call attention to them).

So my error here is doubly ironic! And four times as funny! Thanks. :crazy:

please tell me you know I was just kidding- does this mean I cant show up at your house un-announced so your partner doesnt have a fit getting ready? should I cancel my flight?

 

[Amraann]

Yes, I do. And I don't blame the rest of the country for being jealous.

BTW, Amraann made a great point above that the news article was written as if the State's inability to charge an 8-year-old with capital murder was some extraordinary miscarriage of justice. She's write. The author of the account should have been more careful.

Thanks Nova... it should be noted that it was not one reporter nor one article it was EVERY article about this tragedy.
What kind of country do we live in where we think its ok to prosecute children?
Keep in mind as a parent if I yelled at my child or spanked them (NOT beat them but a swat on their hiney) I could be infestigated by DCF and potentially my child could go to a foster home but the state could take my child prosecute them and put them in jail??
Lets be totally honest Juvinille hall only exposes kids to those who have been molested and abused much like that of many foster homes..
The child comes back with more issues then they left with.
This is just a topic that totally hits a nerve with me so I apologize for ranting.

BobbisAngel.. I agree if the child had done this before they should have a safety set up (even if he hadn't!)
But all the articles state that they litterally moved in that day (well the day before the early morning hours this happend) so it is very possible that they had not unpacked the baby monitor yet (for that matter they may not have even known what box it was in) They did not have time to put alarms on the doors.
I have moved with 4 children 1 being disabled. I cannot imagine moving to a knew state with 5 children, 2 of them being infants and at least 1 we know is disabled. The drive alone must have been brutal!
Imagine driving from FL to Texas with those children and having to then unpack even just the very bare necceseties!
Come to think of it .... it is very possible that the parents did not put the babies to sleep in their cribs ... with all those children to care for while unpacking after that drive I could see someone using the playpens or portacribs which would have made it easier for the 8 YO to take them out of.
At 9 months old and being twins (usually smaller or preemies) they probably could not climb out but he could certainly climb in and take them out and probably just was doing what everyone else did when the babies cried ... taking them out of their crib or bringing them to mom and dad.
I bet the 11 and 14 YO did that often to help out.

 

[j2mirish]

Thanks Nova... it should be noted that it was not one reporter nor one article it was EVERY article about this tragedy.
What kind of country do we live in where we think its ok to prosecute children?
Keep in mind as a parent if I yelled at my child or spanked them (NOT beat them but a swat on their hiney) I could be infestigated by DCF and potentially my child could go to a foster home but the state could take my child prosecute them and put them in jail??
Lets be totally honest Juvinille hall only exposes kids to those who have been molested and abused much like that of many foster homes..
The child comes back with more issues then they left with.
This is just a topic that totally hits a nerve with me so I apologize for ranting.

BobbisAngel.. I agree if the child had done this before they should have a safety set up (even if he hadn't!)
But all the articles state that they litterally moved in that day (well the day before the early morning hours this happend) so it is very possible that they had not unpacked the baby monitor yet (for that matter they may not have even known what box it was in) They did not have time to put alarms on the doors.
I have moved with 4 children 1 being disabled. I cannot imagine moving to a knew state with 5 children, 2 of them being infants and at least 1 we know is disabled. The drive alone must have been brutal!
Imagine driving from FL to Texas with those children and having to then unpack even just the very bare necceseties!
Come to think of it .... it is very possible that the parents did not put the babies to sleep in their cribs ... with all those children to care for while unpacking after that drive I could see someone using the playpens or portacribs which would have made it easier for the 8 YO to take them out of.
At 9 months old and being twins (usually smaller or preemies) they probably could not climb out but he could certainly climb in and take them out and probably just was doing what everyone else did when the babies cried ... taking them out of their crib or bringing them to mom and dad.
I bet the 11 and 14 YO did that often to help out.

Ita, and could not have said it better Am-- very good points, and post

 

[Nova]

please tell me you know I was just kidding- does this mean I cant show up at your house un-announced so your partner doesnt have a fit getting ready? should I cancel my flight?

Sorry, j. And I was so proud of myself for crafting a reply sure to show I appreciated the joke!

What I meant to say was that my error was doubly funny because I had been discussing the errors of others elsewhere. Of course, I knew you were just ribbing me (and rightly so!).

All vacation plans to Palm Springs remain as originally scheduled.

 

[Amraann]

Ita, and could not have said it better Am-- very good points, and post

Thanks Sweetie!! (Mostly for reading my long tirade!!)

Nova When I saw the typo in your post the JR conversation was the first thing I thought of LOLOL

And what is this about Palm Springs??? How come noone told me????

 

[southcitymom]

I disagree. My kids know what death is and that there is no coming back and my 8 year old would definately know that it could seriously injure or kill the babies if he was to toss them down steps. I am not saying that this child knew what the consequences would be because he had limited mental capacity, but a "normal" 8 yr old would.

It's interesting. I'm not sure what the average 8-year-old would "get", but I still lean towards thinking they might not get the full permenance of it.

I teach my kids that bodies die but that who we really are lives forever. Perhaps that is a confusing to them, but I can only teach what I believe.

It seems to me that the Law doesn't believe a child this age has enough of an understanding of death, consequences, etc...or else, this child could have been charged - a heinous thought, IMHO.

 

[Amraann]

It's interesting. I'm not sure what the average 8-year-old would "get", but I still lean towards thinking they might not get the full permenance of it.

I teach my kids that bodies die but that who we really are lives forever. Perhaps that is a confusing to them, but I can only teach what I believe.

It seems to me that the Law doesn't believe a child this age has enough of an understanding of death, consequences, etc...or else, this child could have been charged - a heinous thought, IMHO.

Exactly!! ... Teonspaleprincess... I do not disagree that your children may very well have understood this ..... I can pretty much garantee that an 8 YO autistic child has absolutely no concept of it.
It should also be noted that when generalizing about children developmentally its only going to be the middle section of the children that fall into the generalization ..... that is to say that those below the 30% percentile and those above the 70% will be above or below the developmental scale.

 

[mostlylurking]

Thanks Nova... it should be noted that it was not one reporter nor one article it was EVERY article about this tragedy.
What kind of country do we live in where we think its ok to prosecute children?
Keep in mind as a parent if I yelled at my child or spanked them (NOT beat them but a swat on their hiney) I could be infestigated by DCF and potentially my child could go to a foster home but the state could take my child prosecute them and put them in jail??
Lets be totally honest Juvinille hall only exposes kids to those who have been molested and abused much like that of many foster homes..
The child comes back with more issues then they left with.
This is just a topic that totally hits a nerve with me so I apologize for ranting.

Point well taken...
Maybe the reason we have so many people acting like walking contradictions today is because our society is one!

 

[Texana]

True. And how kind of you to put it that way! I expected posters to immediately insist I AM from another planet and they have always thought of me as such.

OH, never. Another state maybe but never another planet.

One thing to consider...the Internet and the 24 hour media publicizes so many things now. Think of how many "accidents" perhaps occurred in previous years that a kinder, wiser doctor, sheriff, or other person understood was not perhaps an accident...but a tragic incident from a child who didn't fully understand the consequences of his/her actions.