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Posts:
18
From:
Decatur, Al 35603
Registered:
6/8/07
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(1 of 1)
trying children as adults
Jun 16, 2007 3:58 PM
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As a Mother of a 14 year old son who was tried as an adult with no prior record I am extremly sensitve to this issue. The psychologists who evalated my son were adult psychologists, not children psychologists. I was not allowed as his parent to be present upon his evaluation, or his interragaton without an attorney present. They claimed he signed his rights away and waived his rights. No 14 year old understands that. He was scared to death, and if a parent can be held accountable for underage drinking of minors, or other infractions they may have committed, than why cana parent not be present while her child is be interviewed by a multitude of detectives?? His medical diagnosis' were not taken into account, his counslers were not allowed to testify, his abuse and enviornmental conditions were not brought up. But the main concern with the Al. Supreme court was "too little, too late" according to one judge. Much of the testimony was inncorrect in the appellate case, too many inconsistancies, and who do you complain to? The judges who received their information from the attorney's or the police reports? How do correct the discrepancies? 14 is way to young to be tried as an adult. Their lack of maturity and consequences as well as their rationing make it impossible for them to understand their situation or the judicial system. Even the Sherriff at the time in Lawence county said he'd love to see "those two fry before his last day" in office. Thankfully, he was voted out an replaced with another sherriff at election. My son was 14 at the time when his life ended, and he will forever be 14 no matter how old he may become cronologically. The only thing he was ever quilty of was missing the bus. We lived in the country, so he accumulated tardies. That is ALL!! I'd have to say 16 or older, and upon an exhaustive exam from an expert psychologist with experience dealing with children and adolescents. Or doctor's familiar with mental disorders, domestic violence, etc. Unfortunately for my son, his attorney's didn't have the $6,000.00 to hire a professional in that field and they were repeatly denied that option by judge Mulligan who eventually rule him capable of standing trial as an adult. Now serving life w/o parole, he will forver be a child at heart surrounded by career criminals serving the same or worse. There is no protection in a level5. The inmates are in for life, they have nothing to lose. He is the youngest inmate at St. Clair institution. And danger surrounds him every day as he trys to cope, to understand, and to protect himself. I don't prodict that my son will be able to endure this for long. We understand his feelings on this and pray constantly for his strentgh. I don't want to bury my son while he's in prison, but I would understand his choices. Not many...they prey on the new young ones, so his options are getting raped, threatened by extortion, beaten, shanked, or killed - by his own hands or someone else's. He's scare to death...one day he's going to 7th grade school, the next day he's locked up for 4 years before the trial. They didn't want a young clean-face baby boy standing before a jury, the D.A. wanted them to see a grown young man that they could picture could be capable of this crime. He hardly understood anything, and no one was allowed to testify on his behalf. Which is who we are trying to get another trial. We were denied at the lower level, and are awaitng a decision from the appeallate court of appeals, which could take 6 months to 3 - 4 years, if Evan can survive that long. You have to take in the whole history of the youth, the mental stability, their enviornment, any trouble with the law, and the conditions surrounding the case, what led up to the incident, no suppression of the truth should ever be allowed. And were the children under any influences of substances, were they in any danger, etc. My son's trial lasted 5 days. How's that for the system? Some cases last months and don't take 4 years to go to trial. And in most cases their are testimonies from both sides. It's a joke here...Lawence county wanted a conviction regardless of the truth and they had the money. We didn't. Nor did we get proper coverage of this trial. WAFF channel 48, also known as NBC deleated every comment I ever made in my son's innocence, took an hour and a 1/2 interview and chopped it down to less than 5 minutes, and pretty much convicted my son without listening to the truth. They wanted a juicy story and to discredit myself as well as my family. Thank god there are so many people who know my son and myself who thought their broadcast was an insult, inadequate reporting, sensationalism, and down-right corrupt reporting. It taught us a valuable lesson. The press only prints the dirty laundry aspects of cases in small towns like this. Little unknown reporters hoping to land big jobs at giant stations will do anything to get a story. Including fabrication, editing, taking out of context and sumising a case without proof or the the truth. I thought reporters were suppose to investgate the truth. Not elaberate on rumors or hearsay. Isn't that inadmissable in court? It should be on televison and newspapers too. And reporters should be sanctioned as well for misquoting and misrepresentation of a story/case. Most of our friends as well as my family will not watch WAFF anymore. Their too biased and concerned with ratings. That's why we all now watch channel 19, A CBS affiliate. Their honest and compassionate and report the truth.
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suzi Miller-Pethtal
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Edited by suzi pethtal at 06/16/2007 1:15 PM
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