Comments on: Dr. Keith: Can an 8-Year-Old Be a Murderer?

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:50:12 +0000

Anyone who doesn’t believe an 8 year old is capable of murder needs to talk to a Vietnam veteran. They will tell you exactly what a little kid with a gun is capable of.

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:10:18 +0000

Thank you for making a little more sense of the situation. Every since the media broke this story I have been very concerned for this child. I pray that everyone involved will give him the attention he needs to determine what really happened and why.

By: Jamie McGlaun

Jamie McGlaun — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:13:28 +0000

I found it difficult to believe that this child was able to shoot 2 grown men. Was there any evidence of a struggle? I would think a man (no less 2) would make an attempt to take the gun away from a small child. Is there no other suspects? None have been mentioned on the news. I sincerely hope that the child is not being detained unneccessarily if the police have other suspects.

After to listening to the interview, it appears pretty clear that the police are leading the child by saying things like, “What would you say if we told you someone told us you shot them?”. An 8 year old who is frightened, tired, tramatized and ready to end the interview might agree to anything.

Shame on the police who conducted the interview without representation of the child’s relatives, attorney or child psychiatrist. I believe these police officers deserve to be terminated. They obviously are qualified to perform their job in a professional manner.

Jamie McGlaun

By: Swimz Faster

Swimz Faster — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:03:21 +0000

This 8 year old Little boy
was Not born evil.
The way the police and prosecutors
are so eager to try him as an adult
now that IS EVIL.
What happened did he not fit into the Mormon cult????

By: C.L. W.

C.L. W. — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:33:26 +0000

I’ve become convinced that the authorities have no idea how to handle such bizarre cases.

Putting an 8 year old in ankle and wrist shackles is pathetic.

Lest I sound unsympathetic to the authorities – let me say immediately – I AM NOT unsympathetic – I would not want their job for anything in the world.

Let’s face it: our world, our societies are out of control. We really need to turn back to a forgiving Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:42:15 +0000

Does violence stem from habituation of habitat? Considering that even children are exposed to the images of violent behavior on television and even in the reading material they have available to them, isn’t the theory that young persons are being desensitized toward violence every single time they turn on the television? Most news broadcasts relay the violence in the top of the hour. Television news interrupts normal programming every time something significant happens. Maybe there would be less violence from every age group if there were less promotion form television broadcasters and movie makers. It’s just a thought. So, how can an eight year old be called a murderer? When he/she picks up an implement that can harm someone else and uses that instrument as a weapon, he/she becomes the perpetrator of a homicide if the incident results in death. Therefore, that child is a murderer.

By: Lina

Lina — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:22:34 +0000

I know a woman that was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend for years. When her younger sister got a little older, he started sexually abusing her also. She couldn’t stand to see him doing this to her sister, so she stabbed the boyfriend in his sleep. She was 14 at the time and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. Is this fair? Maybe this boy was experiencing some of the same trauma. Whatever the case, I do not believe that an 8 year old should be tried as an adult. At the age of 8, I believe that a child would certainly know the consequences of such a horrific act. Surely there had to be something that drove him to do this, whether it be a mental illnes, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc…

By: S Price

S Price — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:52:30 +0000

Something that bothers me about this case–

Read this article: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/09/america/Child-Charged-Optional.php

It states that the boy’s mother had visited just before the killings. Why haven’t I heard of them going after her, and questioning her? There must be a reason why the father had full custody, and that needs to be found out. Is the mother emotionally unstable maybe? Shouldn’t the investigators be entertaining the possibility that the mother put him up to it? 8-year old children are not that hard to manipulate, and will tend to protect their parents. Maybe I’m way off base, but I find it strange that the child’s mother lives so far away, and yet, just happened to be there right before the murders.

By: Harriet

Harriet — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:44:34 +0000

Children see & learn MURDER, SEX, and other undesirable on TV all the time. Movies are no better. On the computer there is information on making bombs and poisons.

So, why wouldn’t a child know how to perform a murder or do some other dastardly deed. A child does not realize that the person they are wanting to kill for whatever reason will be gone forever if the act is performed. They do not have a concept of consequences.

Many children are suffering from parents who are alcoholics, druggies, uncontrollable anger of the parent or parent substitute, plus many other undesirable traits. Many do not know for certain who is really their parent.

What is needed is a return to discipline and a CHRISTIAN LIFE. FOCUS ON THE FAMILY has lots of good books and counseling for such a problem. There are many other groups who do a good job also. Putting GOD back in our lives will be a plus.

By: DessyeDee Clark, PhD, APRN

DessyeDee Clark, PhD, APRN — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:05:24 +0000

I appreciate Dr. Ablow’s efforts to educate the community on a child’s capacity for murder. In reviewing other’s responses, I would suggest we distinguish between the physical capacity to hold, aim, and fire a gun (perhaps as modeled, trained, or coerced by others) versus the intent to murder (to kill with the knowledge of permanent death). Developmental variability dramatically affects a child (or adults) capacity for comprehending personal action and willful intent to harm. Unfortunately, even as we learn more about the developing brain, there is a national swing toward prosecuting more children in the adult system that defies this scientific evidence. Some people may be born with a neurologically-based defect in empathy which may impair their capacity to appreciate other’s needs and separateness… but this doesn’t make the child evil. I have worked in child psychiatry for 30 years and treat both children and adults who have committed extremely violent acts (or been charged with them). In one instance, the 4 year old who ‘drowned’ his sister was in fact the victim of horrible physical abuse and neglect, and the ‘confession’ was manipulated by a parent’s partner. Incarcerated offenders often have undiagnosed or untreated psychotic symptoms and/or developmental delays which prevent them being fulling cognizant of their wrong-doing. I regret every life that is taken, every soul is valuable. But our society is also responsible for protecting children and growing them up safely.