Teen turns down plea deal for 25 years in prison, gets 65 years instead

yes, and laws were written to punish people that helped free the slaves once, bad laws exist and when they do, people should speak out about them

this law punishing this 15 year old for the cops actions, doesn't protect anyone, it's a bad law

this kid committed real crimes, punish him for the real crimes he DID commit, not these made up crimes for something he did not do, he did not kill his friend

 

Plea deals can be helpful for both sides. For the accused, it can mean a shorter sentence. For the victim or victim's family, it can mean not having to go through the process of a criminal trial, which can be traumatic depending on the circumstances of the crime. It allows the courts to save taxpayer money and handle other cases.

A plea deal doesn't change the min-max sentencing that would be occurring after a guilty verdict in a criminal trial. The sad truth is that if an innocent person takes a plea deal because they don't think they can overcome the proescutor's evidence against them, they aren't going to be getting a better deal taking it to court, losing, and receiving the tougher sentence.

 

I am arguing law and you are arguing emotion. We simply aren't on the same page.

 

Does it though?. I presume not many criminals are even aware of this law. If it was made widely known I doubt that burglar gangs will stop burgling. But what may happen is that if one of the gang is killed by the householder, which in many cases would cause the other burglars to flee, they may now realize that their only hope to escape life imprisonment is to murder all eyewitnesses including the householder

 

The majority of people still want a law-abiding and orderly society. They have SPOKEN OUT by electing legislators who enact laws that protect them -- and make life harder for the non-law-abiding. And the majority continues to SPEAK OUT and will SPEAK OUT.

 

Murdering all eyewitnesses is already pretty common so no sweat, nobody can live forever. What is needed is harsher laws making it easier to convict -- the criminals can escalate, and the law-abiding society can escalate to counter them.

If the criminals are citizens they are bound by self-interest to pay attention, and responsible to know the law, because ignorance of the law is no excuse.

The example in this thread, and similar examples in other states, should grab criminals' attention. But if it doesn't grab their attention that don't matter because ignorance of the law is no excuse. When you do dumb you almost always have to pay.

 

Do you have any evidence that murdering all eye witnesses is pretty common? I'm not sure why you have brought up "ignorance of the law" as my point is gangs knowing the law will result in an increase of home owners being murdered

 

Always escalate, escalate to make life harder for criminals.

If there is a weak point in the law, harden it until the weakness is fully covered.

 

Google: Felony Murder rule. He's properly charged in this crime. Those who are party to felony like a robbery where someone, anyone dies, are said to be party to the crime because such a thing is fairly foreseeable. Rob a place and its likely someone will be hurt or killed.
When a murder or felony murder or other serious crime against a person is committed by someone 14 or older but not yet 18 they are eligible to be tried as an adult if that is moved for and adjudicated with proper notice and the right to be heard by the defendant.

Due Process: He's getting his due process, the basic indicia of which are NOTICE AND THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD. He's got counsel, he's got the ability to assert any and all affirmative defenses. The trouble is HIS actions by being criminal scum have neatly divested him of any affirmative defense. He's caught dead to rights, he SHOULD have taken the deal because he cannot win his case because of what HE ACTUALLY DID (in being party to multiple felonies).

 

His accomplice. Google Felony Murder rule.

 

This is somewhat naive of you to say. Just because you're innocent doesn't mean you cant be found guilty. Trial by jury can be about the facts, but it can also be a ****ing popularity contest. Our system has deep, cavernous flaws and plea deals only make sense in a system that is flawless.

 

Laws like this are intended to make people think before they commit a crime.....any crime. Can breaking into a home run the risk of get killed.....yes. Can breaking into a home run the risk of someone in the home getting killed when we have firearms.....yes, this means that even if I do not shoot someone I could get charged with murder. How good of an idea do I think this criminal endeavor is?

I've heard many times that ignorance of the law is no excuse so he knew what the risks were going into the situation.

As for the sentence. When you refuse a deal for shorter time and instead choose to take it to court you run the risk of getting more time if you loose. This is also something that he should have weight out. If his lawyer was any good at all they should have advised him to take the deal since there was video footage of the crime so the likelihood of getting off was slim. In the United States judgement is handed down by a jury of their peers, which means citizens of the community. They decide if he is guilty or not guilty based upon the evidence that his defense presents and the prosecution presents, and if guilty the punishment.

Do I think his punishment was just.....I can't say since I wasn't on the jury, and having sat on a pretty major murder trail for my area I can tell you that the news doesn't report ALL of the information on many cases.

 

exactly, the cop did not murder this boy, no one murdered this boy, so charging the other kid for his murder seems ridiculous as the boy was killed in self defense by the cop

 

There was no murder. The death was one of the burglers who was killed by a cop.

 

65 years. He didn't kill anyone. No innocent people were killed. A cop killed one of the thiefs. Why is this kid going to be in jail from the time he is 16 to 81? It makes no sense.

 

Well, in his cage, he sure won't kill anybody there either. He is too small to overpower most males.

 

True but if one digs deeply into why Alabama has such a law, most likely others in the past were in the group who killed others who got away by saying it was not them doing the killing. Alabama laws are not accidents. Still I see your point and if this boy gets justice, a higher up court will change the outcome.

 

This is one of those Feel good stories of the week that I enjoy reading. This kid is a Scumbag and sooner or later, there was going to be an innocent person who would have been killed by this creep, but who's going to be alive in the future, because they put this criminal in jail for 65 years. I have no sympathy for thieves, murderers, rapists and gang members and this is just going to be one of those life lessons to any of the other criminals who believe they'll just get a slap on the wrist if caught. Hopefully someone makes this punk his girlfriend in Prison.

 

When I read this boys story, my thoughts went down this path. Do not try to mock the court. Do not put the Judge trying to persuade you to have a shorter sentence to make it longer. This kid may smell an appeals court changing such rulings by this local judge.

 

In reality.... you don't got 10 judges. You got 10.000's who all on average give black people 20% harsher sentences, every year.

They are indeed to blame. You don't just be part of a racist institute in the US in 2018 and shrug.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_racism
Institutional racism was defined by Sir William Macpherson in the 1999 Lawrence report (UK) as: "The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people."

It's bang on the buck.
And that is where the whole #whiteprivilege and BLM pop up.

He is guilty of the crimes he committed, not for things he did not do. That's where fair justice we agreed upon is served and kangaroo courts begin.

Racist juries and judges do give guilty people sentences that are ridiculous. And you admitted that you do not care that black people get years and years of extra time because of the color of their skin.


Slighty yes, but the first perpetrator is still a human waste and don't deserve anything than contempt. If everybody could have the same punishment for the same acts, it would be better, but there is something who would be even better : that they commit no crimes.[/QUOTE]

 

It's still a fact that the child got convicted because the cop killed somebody.

 

No he did not.

 

Race has everything to do with the length of the sentence. It's a FACT that it is, in the US.
This white kid got 10 years less.

 

Except he did not pull a gun.

 

It has nothing to do with emotions, when I state it is a FACT that specifically black people get harsher sentences in the US vs other races for the same crime under the same circumstances.