Drumstick or breast for accused daddy killer? Details at 11!If that wasn't quite how the Early Show played it, it's not far off. Of all the angles to promote its coverage of the story of the eight-year old accused of killing his father, CBS highlighted the issue of . . . where the boy would celebrate Thanksgiving.
View video here.
Reflecting the show's celebrity/scandal focus, its opening teases concerned Eliot Spitzer and Winona Rider. After Maggie Rodriguez then heralded the upcoming coverage of the stock market, it was the turn of Jeff Glor, sitting in for Harry Smith.
JEFF GLOR: Also in this morning, a big development in that almost unbelievable case of the eight-year in Arizona accused of killing his father and another man. He was in court yesterday, that boy. We'll tell you where he'll spend Thanksgiving.Great. When it comes to this case, I'm sure that's a key question on the mind of most Americans. And since you're dying to know . . . at the end of its first half hour, after rolling video of the boy appearing to confess to shooting his father because he didn't want him "to suffer," CBS disclosed that a judge had authorized the boy to spend Thanksgiving . . . with his mother.
Good to know. But what's his favorite video game?
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Why
November 20, 2008 - 08:16 ET by Long Island PeteWhy would a judge grant this request. I wouldnt be surprised if the mother ran off with the little killer.
Nice signal there, judge...
November 20, 2008 - 08:47 ET by SickofLibsOn playgrounds across the country, elementary school kids are pondering, "Gee, I can kill my father in cold blood and still get to go to Thanksgiving? Awesome!"
The South Park guys are probably already working on the episode.
SofL
November 20, 2008 - 08:55 ET by SeashellExactly. Also, this child is obviously very troubled. If I was his mother I would be afraid that the child might take his own life or maybe take mine. What an awful situation.
I agree Seashell. Something
November 20, 2008 - 10:27 ET by motherbeltI agree Seashell. Something is very wrong with this child. I simply do not think that an 8-year-old can make an informed decision about what taking a life means. He may not even realize the permanence of it for months. Maybe years.
In my opinion, he needs to be in a mental health facility geared to children.
Absolutely.
November 20, 2008 - 16:14 ET by SeashellAbsolutely.
Another insipid product of
November 20, 2008 - 08:51 ET by motherbeltAnother insipid product of the 24-hour news mentality.
Daft
November 20, 2008 - 09:01 ET by ginagwen7Daft. I feel dumber for reading this. No wonder the US is full of Dumbs**ts.
News?
November 20, 2008 - 09:14 ET by jackie3Where the boy spends the holiday is news? I don't think so.
However, children are noted for giving false statements. An 8 year old, interviewed by himself with two cops could say anything. What does the evidence say though? The evidence doesn't lie and I have yet to see a single shred of evidence in this case. The police interview will be tossed out of court.
The cops cannot screw this up. They need to know what happened without taking the boys words into account. They cannot get tunnel vision in this case. Just because there is a confession doesn't mean the boy is guilty. The evidence must support the confession or there will be no conviction.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
I am with you on this. I've
November 20, 2008 - 15:48 ET by andophiroxiaI am with you on this. I've looked at quite a few murder cases and the ones that seem cut-and-dry aren't quite so when you look at DNA and other forensic evidence.
Although that is disturbing that at 8 the kid may be a sociopath.
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill
jackie and ando... I'm
November 20, 2008 - 15:54 ET by bigtimerjackie and ando...
I'm with you both here too...something doesn't quite smell right to me about this whole thing...at all.
Time will tell...I also have been a true crime aficionado since I have been very young....seems to me there has to be something more to the story.
Like you say ando, he could be a complete sociopath, but the tv drama plus the talking heads already announcing/deciding who is guilty or not has been far past infuriating for me now for decades now.
You never know for sure until all the dust settles, and then sometimes you still may not have all the answers.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
There was this one story
November 20, 2008 - 16:15 ET by andophiroxiaOf an anchorwoman that had been found raped and stabbed to death in her bedroom. They initially thought it was the recently ex-boyfriend (she broke up with him shortly before her death) because he had been physically abusive, and was found exiting her apartment around the time of the murder. This seems logical.
Well, it turned out that the forensics cleared him, and not only that they managed to find the semen on CODIS and lo and behold, it was some guy that was 16 at the time, now in prison for rape, that did it! The forensics matched the perp perfectly.
This is why I wait for evidence. I am still not convinced by the Peterson trial, because they couldn't determine how she died--including murder. I'm not saying he couldn't have done it--it just wasn't proven to me. Obviously, I'm not privy to all of it, but I can't see it with the evidence that I've seen. People that cheat don't necessarily commit murder (or we'd have a lot more dead people). There has to be other factors: abuse, finances, and other escalating issues. (Which apparently they couldn't find any--no I'm not speaking of the books released after the fact.)
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” ~ Winston Churchill
I think they should invite
November 20, 2008 - 09:23 ET by MillerTimeWarphim to visit the CBS set. Maybe get to know him better, his feelings, was the cranberry sauce from a can good enough ? And then in the middle of the segment he whips out his slingshot and shoots his own eye out
What...no Red Ryder BB
November 20, 2008 - 10:23 ET by motherbeltWhat...no Red Ryder BB gun?????
The important thing here,
November 20, 2008 - 10:36 ET by HillbillyKingif, as is suggested by the USA Today article, the boy is indeed tried as an adult, should they whack the lil' fella if he's found guilty?
Seriously, he can receive the death penalty in Arizona for 2 counts of premeditated murder, IF, he's tried as an adult and found guilty.
The open question I pose to fellow NBer's is, what should his punishment be, IF he's guilty? Life in prison? Death? Treatment? What do y'all think?
Can anyone justify state sanctioned murder committed against an 8 year old?
Or better yet, how can a 8 year old double homicide suspect, be allowed to spend Thanksgiving in his Moms custody?
Your thoughts?
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
Maybe they are hoping she
November 20, 2008 - 10:41 ET by sherylsimsMaybe they are hoping she WILL run off with him and save them the ethical and financial burdon of what to do with him.
Thanks, sheryl.
November 20, 2008 - 20:11 ET by HillbillyKingI appreciate your thoughts. Although, I hope she doesn't run off with the child, because he'll need professional help after all this.
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
I said above I think he
November 20, 2008 - 10:48 ET by motherbeltI said above I think he needs to be in children's pschiatric facility. I do not believe an 8-year-old can understand the absolute permanence of death.
That they would even consider trying him as an adult is incredible.
The kid needs serious help.
Can anyone justify state sanctioned murder committed against an 8 year old?
Do you mean here? Or in the judicial system?
If you mean here, I can only answer that I certainly can't.
In the judicial system? Absolutely not.
Thanks, mb.
November 20, 2008 - 20:07 ET by HillbillyKingI appreciate your thoughts on the matter. For the record, I, also, believe that the child needs help, not punishment.
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
Open answers
November 20, 2008 - 11:34 ET by CobraMan"what should his punishment be, IF he's guilty?"
Live in prison. There can be no excuses for double murder, and no variances on the punishment societies inflict upon those who violate our laws. If he's old enough to INTENTIONALLY kill someone, he's old enough to receive the same punishments as "older" murders. Age should not be a limiting factor.
"Can anyone justify state sanctioned murder committed against an 8 year old?"
That question itself is irrelevant as the Supreme Court has make that decision for us. They have ruled, first, that the death penalty is NOT murder (I noticed that you are phrasing the question in such a way as to invoke emotion-based subjectivity to what should be a objective question, btw) and they have ruled that someone as young as this child CAN NOT receive the death penalty. So, I fail to understand why you even asked that question, other than to invoke an emotional response and to justify you're preconceived notions about the members here at NB?
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
Thank you...
November 20, 2008 - 20:03 ET by HillbillyKingfor your thoughts CobraMan.
I acknowledge the validity of your astute observation on the manner in which I employed my choice of syntax. Although, I do so not out of any need to justify my impressions of the members here at NB. Instead, I do so in an effort to foster discussion. From which, (hopefully), a more evolved perspective may be garnered for anyone that cares to participate and/or peruse them.
Judging by the responses following my initial comment, I believe my intended purpose was accomplished.
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
8 year old adult???
November 20, 2008 - 11:53 ET by ginagwen7They should NOT try him as an adult. A 14 year ild, maybe. But the child is 8 FRIGGIN' YEARS OLD!!! Hold his mother and father accountable for either neglecting to train the child in what is right and wrong, or not getting help for the kid if he's, as we say in the south, not right in the head. Perhaps they let the child watch endless violence on the boob tube and play violent video games with no instruction on how to differentiate fantasy from reality, I don't know. I just know if he did it, he should be tried as a child, because that is what he is.
Dear Dad, You're DEAD!
November 20, 2008 - 11:57 ET by CobraManIt would be rather hard to hold the Father responsible, since his own child KILLED HIM!
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
No it is easy: He reaped the
November 20, 2008 - 12:52 ET by ginagwen7No it is easy: He reaped the seeds he sowed. He has suffered the consequenses of his failure as a father,IMHO.
It's daddy's fault?
November 20, 2008 - 14:18 ET by CobraManIt's daddy's fault that his son MURDERED him? That defies logic and reasoning. What about the other man who died, is that daddy's fault too?
Stop trying to deflect blame onto the parents here. You may as well blame society in general for creating the "conditions" that lead to this murder and for "allowing" it to occur, the generalization is the same.
There is only one person to blame for this murder, and that's the person who committed that crime and not the victims.
Obama: My job is above my pay grade
not deflection, squarely placed
November 20, 2008 - 15:04 ET by ginagwen7There is only one person to blame for this murder, and that's the person who committed that crime and not the victims.
My argument is that the "person" you refer to is an 8 YEAR OLD CHILD!! Who's job is it to teach children right from wrong, self-control, respect for firearms, respect for human life? The parents. Those parents shall also require obedience to said teachings.
Shall, I prosecute my 4 year old for public exposure because he pulled his pants down to pee on a tree?? Or shall I be held responsible because I have failed to teach him the proper place to urinate, and required him to follow those rules?
gin7,
November 20, 2008 - 20:14 ET by HillbillyKingthanks for your thoughts. I too think that the child should be tried as a child, not an adult.
If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you.
Don Marquis 1878-1937
The wife and I
November 20, 2008 - 12:03 ET by general companyBoth had tears streaming down our face when this story originally broke. This is less a story of a little boy, and more a story of what we as parents and a society are doing to them. How does and 8yr old come to contemplate murder?
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
more gossip...
November 20, 2008 - 12:59 ET by lotrthat's all this is.
And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. -- Edgar Allan Poe
This is why I stopped watching TV
November 21, 2008 - 07:42 ET by PopularTechYou lose IQ points everytime you turn these shows on.
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