Boy, 6, Suspected in Grandfather's Death

The Tuscaloosa News ^ | November 09, 2003 | The Associated Press

[yonif]

A 6-year-old boy suspected of shooting his grandfather to death with a .22-caliber rifle has a history of mental illness and attacking family members, authorities said.

James Zbinden, 59, was found dead at his home Friday after his grandson ran into the street and flagged down a neighbor, Cole County Sheriff John Hemeyer said.

The boy, who has not been identified, is being evaluated at a mental-health facility.

"We believe, at this time, that he killed his grandfather intentionally," Hemeyer said. An autopsy Saturday showed Zbinden bled to death from a single gunshot wound near his armpit.

Hemeyer said Zbinden and the boy were alone together Friday when the boy apparently found a gun that family members thought was no longer in the house. Hemeyer said it was unclear what led up to the attack. "This is a kid who has attacked family members before with no provocation," Hemeyer said.

The boy had been released last Monday from a central Missouri mental-health facility where he was admitted after attacking another family member, Hemeyer said.

Past assaults have involved the boy's younger siblings and his parents, Hemeyer said. He also said the boy has used knives during previous attacks.

Before his legal counsel halted the interview, the boy indicated to authorities that he was responsible for Zbinden's death, Hemeyer said.

A juvenile court will handle the case.

Juvenile "punishment does not exist in Missouri," Hemeyer said. "Everything is set up for the welfare of the child. Certainly, this is one of those instances we have an extremely disturbed child who needs help badly."

[BBell]

And I thought my 5 year old was a $hithead.

[bethelgrad]

I'm a big supporter of gun rights like most of you, but if I had a kid with a violent disposition in my house, I'd be darn sure he had NO access to my guns--even if that meant getting rid of them.

[eccentric]

No, he's one of the Adama. Call in Mulder and Scully!

[sistergoldenhair]

>I'd be darn sure he had NO access to my guns--even if that meant getting rid of them.

...the boy apparently found a gun that family members thought was no longer in the house.

Sounds like they tried.

[Bonaparte]

If the story is accurate, this child sounds psychopathic to me. Adult psychopaths are held responsible, eg. Bundy knew quite well that torture/killings were wrong -- he just didn't care.

[Mfkmmof4]

If this is true the poor mom must be a wreck. I had a child with many many issues but thank God killing people was not what he did...turned out to be something else and easily dealt with but there are those cases that there is no help for.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

.

[Possenti]

A gun is soemtimes referred to as an "equalizer" while a knife or poison is not. There is a reason for that. I've never heard of a 6 year old killing an adult with a knife or poison. I have heard of a 6 year old killing an adult with a gun.

Correct - we should ban 6-year old kids.

[holyscroller]

"Lets see... Retarded Kid + Available Rifle = Hmmmm???"

Whoa! This kid's not retarded. He's INSANE. There's a world of difference between retardation and insanity. They're two different animals.

[PleaseNoMore]

I read this thread a while ago and have returned to it three times because of this statement. I wasn't going to respond but on the third read I have to.

I swear, I am not "picking on your post" but I cannot imagine anyone advocating death of a child because he is mentally ill. This is a child. A living breathing child. Who are "we" to deem him hopeless? We don't even know why he was in a mental hospital or what his diagnosis was.

The whole situation is so tragic that it should bring us to our knees in prayer for the family AND especially the child.

If the kid and the grandfather were alone, how do we know that the grandfather didn't have the gun out or that he didn't let the boy handle the gun with an accident following?

This is just horribly sad all the way around. It really breaks my heart.

[GovernmentShrinker]

It is horribly sad all around, and of course we don't know enough to actually make the decision I suggested. But from what is known, this kid is living and will continue to live in a state of complete hostility and misery due to some very serious brain defect, and he WILL kill again. My post was more about differentiating between "the death penalty" which is a punitive measure, and "euthanasia" which is a merciful measure, than about actually advocating terminating this messed up kid. We need to be merciful both to these horribly defective youngsters and to their future victims. We do not need to be thinking about punishment, as it is wholly unwarranted.