Horrible, Horrible Baby Murder

[abenja1]

I just read this very sad news story. I honestly hope both parents if the evidence is strong get the death penalty.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/022108/TRI_BFRH57AL.064.php

[The Atheist]

I just read this very sad news story. I honestly hope both parents if the evidence is strong get the death penalty.

They only starved him to death?

Down here, that sort of thing is considered quite mild. Our patrents like to beat them to death. I won't sicken you with the details, because they would.

I can't imagine they'll go for the death penalty - they are probably so stupid they just never even thought that a baby that age might like to eat occasionally and it would be hard to prove intent. They look as though they'd have made good extras in Deliverance. In New Zealand, they'd get 15 years for manslaughter and be out in 8.

That said, I agree with you that removing them from the gene pool is an excellent idea.

[enjoytheview]

In New Zealand, they'd get 15 years for manslaughter and be out in 8.

In Australia, they'd get 8 years and be out in 5.

Terribly sad story. Thankfully, these 'parents' aren't Australian and might get what they deserve.

[Francesca R]

This kind of thing makes me weep. Arguably beating an infant to death is less traumatic for the child than this.

[four elevener]

Unbelievable. What, if anything, were these losers thinking?

[Darat]

In this country someone who did this to an animal could face a prison sentence and when released be banned for life from owning animals, yet released after the death of a child they would still be allowed to have more children... something doesn't seem to quite add up.

[Madalch]

Is it common for American newspapers to give out the home addresses of the accused?

[cloudshipsrule]

Is it common for American newspapers to give out the home addresses of the accused?

Makes vigilante justice that much easier!

[Ace_of_Sevens]

Is it common for American newspapers to give out the home addresses of the accused?

Yes. It would be very rare not to. Victim's addresses are published, too. These thing are a matter of public record and publishing them is believe considered a form of accountability. This was generally not done with rape victims, but there has been some reconsideration fo that after Crystal Mangum. The government wouldn't be very accountable for its prosecutions if we didn't know who the involved parties were.

[TsarBomba]

I don't know whether the local prosecutor in Peoria will go for the death penalty, but I expect he might think about it. Illinois, like almost every other American state that has the death penalty, requires the prosecution to prove at least one aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt to make the defendant eligible for the death penalty(not that this constitutes the end of the story, it just makes the defendant eligible).

The statute in question is 720 ILCS 5/9‑1. Of the 21 statutory aggravating circumstances found in the statute, I can only find one that would be applicable to the offense described in the article, circumstance 7, which reads:


(7) the murdered individual was under 12 years of age
and the death resulted from exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty; or

We certainly have someone under 12 years of age. We don't have "brutality" but I think that starving someone to death is heinous behavior indicative of wanton cruelty, so these two appear at least to be eligible for the death penalty under Illinois law.

[TsarBomba]

Duplicate post.

[tkingdoll]

In this country someone who did this to an animal could face a prison sentence and when released be banned for life from owning animals, yet released after the death of a child they would still be allowed to have more children... something doesn't seem to quite add up.

Well, you don't give birth to pets. There's a massive difference between removing your right to own a pet, and forced sterilisation.

I expect that anyone sent to prison for murdering their child would face some hard times with social services on their birth of their next child. It's very probable that any subsequent children would be removed from the parent if that parent had previously been found guilty of starving a baby to death.

[Soapy Sam]

" The 5-month-old was dropped off at his parents' house on Feb. 4,..."

By whom?

"A person who was staying at an unattached garage adjacent to the house had seen Benjamin at some point, thought it was "odd" that he was still on the living room floor after being dropped off and moved him, car seat and all, into the other room."

So this unnamed person had access to the house and knew the kid was there?

I'm baffled.

[Darth Rotor]

I just read this very sad news story. I honestly hope both parents if the evidence is strong get the death penalty.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/022108/TRI_BFRH57AL.064.php
Why not put the kid up for adoption?

Why not . . .

Never mind. I'd forgotten the age of the perps, Generation "It's All About Me."

Wish I had not clicked on that link.

DR