Adult Trial Likely in Baby Slaying
13-Year-Old Accused of Killing Infant Girl

June 5 — A Georgia judge cleared the way today for a 13-year-old boy to be tried as an adult for allegedly beating a baby girl to death at the foster home they shared.



Authorities say the youth, whose name has not been released by authorities, killed 20-month-old Kentoya Robinson when their foster mother left them in her home to make a brief trip to the grocery store.
A 15-year-old boy and Kentoya's 5-year-old sister were also home when the incident occurred on May 19.

Renee Huie, spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Resources, said the state Department of Family and Child Services was investigating the foster home, which had been registered with the state since 1988.

Baby Was Due to Leave Foster Care

The infant died of blunt trauma to the head, medical examiners concluded. Their final report on the death is expected later this month, said District Attorney Kristin Childers, who is handling the case.

Kentoya was days away from being transferred to her grandmother's care when she died.

"I cannot get that that boy beat my baby to death," Kentoya's grandmother, Luetricia Carson, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week.

With the Magistrate Court's ruling today to transfer the matter to the Superior Court, "the district attorney's office has discretion over whether the youth is tried as an adult," Childers said. That decision has not yet been made.

Last month, a Florida jury convicted a 14-year-old boy of second-degree murder for fatally shooting his teacher in the head after being suspended for throwing a water balloon. The incident occurred when the shooter, Nathaniel Brazill, was 13 years old.

In March, Lionel Tate, a 14-year-old who said he was imitating professional wrestlers when he killed his 6-year-old playmate Tiffany Eunick, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

www.abcnews.com (http://www.abcnews.com)

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Manu Narayan

This isn't the first time (nor the last) that we be faced with this question.

What do you guys feel about minors being tried as adults?

One one hand it makes sense. But on the other, if we are holding them responsible for their actions as much as an 'adult', how can we dictate that they are not 'adults?' Thats what bothers me. A 13 yearold probably DOES know that murder/hitting/etc is wrong, and that consequences are severe, but we have these rules set (regarding 18 being an adult) yet, we make almost arbitrary exceptions...

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Manu Narayan

I think it's just another example of our get tough on crime insanity gone haywire. It is pretty clear a 13 year old is not an adult so why try him/her as one? They can't vote, they can't buy cigarettes, they can't do anything an "adult" can do except for being tried as one if they commit a crime. It's just another scam by politicians to pretend they are tough on crime cause it gets votes from scared old people.

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Red 86 GT

Exactly my feeling!

Im not saying that I want a 13 yearold to be able to buy booze and cigs mind you, but it is just messed up.

13 is extreme. I guess the REAL issue is where do you cut it off? A 17 year old muders someone in cold blood, why SHOULD it be different if he was 2 days older but had turned 18?

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Manu Narayan

I cannot agree with trying minors as adults. Yes, they made a mistake, and yes they should pay. Like this child is 13 years old, the rest of his life is ruined, over. He will never have a chance to go to prom, meet a girl, fall in love, drive a new car, have children. He robbed himself from this. Do you think he was thinking this at the time of this incident. Hell yeah it was so wrong, but should he punished as a adult. Look at a family memeber of this age that you know, and this was them..would you want the full adult trial. I think even if this was done to my child, grandchild. Looking at a 13 yr old and seeing them punished in the way a adult would, one with all the knowledge to understand right or wrong, I cant agree. This child will never have a real chance at life. *sigh* What a waste!

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"The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for"
-Joseph Addison

Neither will the kid he killed...

Like I said 13 is extreme, what about 16 or 17? Does that make it any different?

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Manu Narayan

True Manu..True..that child will not either, and that is another view. But..does on right make a wrong? I know the famous question. 16 or 17 well it makes you think differently they are a bit more mature..let me ponder.

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"The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for"
-Joseph Addison

Originally posted by Corporate Avenger:
I think it's just another example of our get tough on crime insanity gone haywire. It is pretty clear a 13 year old is not an adult so why try him/her as one? They can't vote, they can't buy cigarettes, they can't do anything an "adult" can do except for being tried as one if they commit a crime. It's just another scam by politicians to pretend they are tough on crime cause it gets votes from scared old people.



Seriously the "tried as adults" policy is re-tarded. Its like oh well they arent responsible enough to drive cars, drink, smoke, gamble, vote etc etc but then when it comes time to sentencing "oh they are just as responsible as adults" its one of the more glaring hypocrisies in the legal system.

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"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." -Nietzsche

[This message has been edited by CodyChaos (edited 06-06-2001).]

So you're saying that children shoudl be abel to smoke, drink, vote, drive, see R movies, X movies, and it should be the parents role to make sure the children do not do certain things?

I think that turns the parents more into a police officer than a parent.

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Manu Narayan

No, it makes the parent into the responsible adult in the relationship. We set all these rules telling them what they can and can't do as children, then as adults they're not going to have learned to make their own judgement calls. A parent should be involved in the child's life enough to know if they're trying to get into R rated movies, and teach them why they're not mature enough to handle seeing what's on that screen. Kids are more intelligent then people will give them credit for, if they're raised to have a sense of judgement and right or wrong.

Laters,
Nomi
>^..^<

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Of course Cats are smarter than Dogs. You'd never see eight cats pulling a sled through snow, would you?

Yeah, kids are more inteligent than people giv ethem credit for, but they also do not have any 'real world' experience. Even myself at 19 lack what someone knows at 40. I am not sayng the 40 yearold is smarter, but he/she has something that I cannot have until I am also 40.

Parents SHOULD have active roles in their kids lives, but come on, we remember being 13-17. How often were you home? Did you drink? Did you 'sneak' into R rated movies? Would you say you had bad parents?

A parent cannot be around 24/7. They shouldn't have to be. The parent instills the basic morals/ethics, and helps the child with difficult decisions, but they cannot hold their hand till 17 and then suddently go, your 18 now, and im gone.

My point. Parents cant be held responsible for the thigns their kids do all the time. Sometimes yes. All the time hardly.

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Manu Narayan

I dont know about all the time... I certainly cant pass judgement on that... but yeah I think a parent is responsible if his or her kid kills someone... or gets a gun and starts shooting... maybe its neglect or negligence or whatever... but I dont have a problem "trying a kid as an adult"... I dont think they should be tried differently in the first place... I just dont see why we should bend the rules for a kid... now I also have a problem with when people are allowed to smoke and drink or whatever... but thats a different matter altogether... we are refering to people being responsible for their actions and we cant liken beating a girl or commiting some other felony, with drinking or the like... they are different ballparks IMHO.

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"Who wants some? Huh? Who wants a little?"
-TOAO Ash

Well yea you cant say hey kids are as responsible adults when it comes to comitting crimes then say hey kids are too stupid to drink or vote. But assuming you decided to grant them full rights and responsibilities i still dont think the parents should be held responsible for crimes committed by their childern. Though obviously theyd have some motivation to whatch out for their kids' well being.

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"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." -Nietzsche

Originally posted by CodyChaos:
Well yea you cant say hey kids are as responsible adults when it comes to comitting crimes then say hey kids are too stupid to drink or vote. But assuming you decided to grant them full rights and responsibilities i still dont think the parents should be held responsible for crimes committed by their childern. Though obviously theyd have some motivation to whatch out for their kids' well being.


See but I think we can lay down that double standard... I think murdering someone is different from being able to drink or vote... but again... Im all for taking away drinking ages or whatnot... works in Europe where the drinking age is 12... ::shrug::


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"Who wants some? Huh? Who wants a little?"
-TOAO Ash

well as much as I hate the whole minor/adult thing... I dont think minor's should be tried any differently from adults... I mean you kill someone you kill someone and should be tried for it... we dont have senior status for trying people right? Shouldnt we have one age period for people... if you really want to get into it... kids should be given the same rights and freedoms as adults... and its their parents responsibilites to take care of them till they are living on their own at which point **** em... so the 13 year old would go to jail...and his parents get tried for negligence...

blah blah blah

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"Who wants some? Huh? Who wants a little?"
-TOAO Ash

Time to p*** off more people.

At 13, a young person has had more than enough time to be taught by their parents about the sanctity of human life. If the parents were slack in that regard, what about their peers? I believe that until the legal age of adulthood that I am responsible for my childrens' actions. If I allow all the TV shows and movies with blatant violent, sexual, and racial overtones, then I am responsible for them forming the opinion that life means nothing, civil rights mean nothing, etc...

If as parents we think that a 13 y/o can go out unescorted by parents to movies, the mall, etc... then that SAME 13 y/o should be willing to accept the adult consequences of their actions... and we as parents have no further say.... since we gave up that right by letting them make their own decisions.

In my house, as long as I pay the bills, children have no say. When they are grown, and on their own, then, and ONLY then, can they make their own decisions. Now, let me qualify that statement. Since it is ALSO my responsibilty to prepare my children for the world... this is how I do things:

I ask them to think of the things I have taught them, then ask what they think I would do in a situation. If they come up with the wrong answer, we discuss how they came to that conclusion. THEN, I tell them how I expect a situation to be handled. My kids come to me, and ask for my help.

I have three hard and fast rules in my house.

1. NEVER lie. (omission is still a lie) Since I am the one who has to defend/protect them... I want the truth.
2. Dad may not always be right, but he's never wrong.
3. If YOU (the child) tells me about the trouble you're in, before someone else does, and tell the truth, the punishment will be half as bad.

Remembering I have a farm, and there is ALWAYS work to be done... and kids hate working more than anything else...LOL Can you guess what the majority of punishments are?

Lol, that last line is great Alex.

And I gotta say, sounds like you have a good system setup.