Posted on 04/29/2010 11:24:32 AM PDT by raccoonradio
A Massachusetts teenager has been convicted of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing another student at a suburban Boston high school.
A jury in Middlesex Superior Court today rejected a defense assertion that John Odgren was legally insane when he stabbed 15-year-old James Alenson in a boys’ bathroom at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on Jan. 19, 2007.
Odgren’s lawyers said he was a troubled 16-year-old who had a long history of emotional problems and disorders, including Asperger’s syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression.
Odgren’s father testified that he had been teased and harassed at various schools he attended, and talked of suicide.
Prosecutors depicted Odgren, now 19, as a calculating killer who brought a carving knife to school, then picked a victim at random.
MA has no death penalty and he may have been pronounced too young (at time of crime) to get it, if we did...
So, who wasn't?
“Odgren’s father testified that he had been teased and harassed at various schools he attended, and talked of suicide.”
***
Did no one (parents, the school, etc.) take any action with regard to this alleged teasing and harassment? Were the boys who may have molested this child ever disciplined?
Also, I get tired of crimes being blamed on alleged mental disorders.
When I was a kid, I walked away from anyone who teased me. At the time, ignoring the bully robbed him/her of the satisfaction of bullying. He/she would find someone else to bully.
Of course, you could do as my uncle did. His son was being harassed by a bully. The son grabbed the kid and threw him down. Before long, the bully and his father came to the door threatening to have my cousin arrested for assault, civil legal action etc. etc. My uncle said, “get out of my house now or I will show you what assault is.” The man and his kid left. My cousin was never bothered after that.
Sweet!!
I hope the FREAK enjoys prison.
If someone is going to claim no accountablity for their actions because they are criminally insane, then they need to be under house arrest after diagnosis (before they kill) and under 24-7 parental or legal guardian supervision (ankle bracelet monitoring and all).
If “you” aren’t accountable then who is making sure “you” don’t do anything bad?
It’s amazing to me how no one is ever responsible in these cases. The killer had “mental issues,” he came from a broken home, he was always a good boy...blah, blah, blah. I really don’t give a d*** about all that. And I don’t care about his age either. When you pick up a gun or a knife to inflict injury on another, you are no longer a child.
Or, you could just pop 'em in the nose. Worked for me with the same result as you.
Random victim no less. He can’t claim he was “provoked” or “teased”.
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