Boy Charged With Murder in Baseball Death

Associated Press ^ | Thu Apr 14, 8:35 PM ET

[bd476]

LOS ANGELES - A 13-year-old pitcher was charged Thursday with murder for allegedly beating another boy to death with a baseball bat following his team's first loss of the season.

AP Photos

The alleged assailant is accused of striking 15-year-old Jeremy Rourke in the knee and again in the head after the youth league game Tuesday evening, said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Ron Smalstig.

The 13-year-old and the older boy apparently had words in front of a concession stand at the Pony League park in Palmdale, about 40 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

The accused youth will be tried as a juvenile because no one under 14 can be tried as an adult in California, Smalstig said. His name was not released because of his age. He remained in custody and was scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday.

If a judge finds the allegations are true, the boy could face a sentence ranging from probation to state custody until he's 25, said District Attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison.

The district attorney spokeswoman declined to say what may have prompted the attack or to provide details about the allegations. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the incident, also declined comment.

[babydubya1981]

Damn steroids

[Flux Capacitor]

----A 13-year-old pitcher was charged Thursday with murder for allegedly beating another boy to death with a baseball bat following his team's first loss of the season.----

The suspect:

[nopardons]

Probation.........for killing someone?

[withteeth]

Surely by the time you're 13 you know damn well that swinging a ball bat at someone's head will kill them. God, how awful. People will probably say the kid had an "exposive disorder". And that might be true: he could be retarded.

[bd476]

:) < Smirk >

[bd476]

< Trying my best not to LOL >

[csvset]

The USSC makes the call..... Safe!

[bd476]

That's what it sounds like. 13 years old with a bad temper, and a deadly weapon, a simple baseball bat and a family loses their dear son, while another family faces visiting their kid in juvenile detention home for a few years.

[babydubya1981]

Where's the bat? :)

[bd476]

The poor family.

[Spktyr]

To quote The Offspring:

"Yer under 18, you won't be doin' any tiiiiiime"

[nopardons]

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh! :-(

[nopardons]

This is just terrible! Look at the message it sends.

[ProudVet77]

I dated someone last spring and summer who had kids that were really into baseball. They each played and practiced like 4-5 days per week, as they wanted to win the championship. It ran her ragged since they were on different teams.
The thing I sensed was that the pressure was from the parents in general and her in specific. She wanted to be supportive, but as she had to take off early from work and have to leave home to pick one or the other up, I'm sure the kids picked up on the stress/pressure.
When I was at that age, the coach would pick us up and take us out for ice cream, win or lose. The game has changed. I feel sorry for the kids now.

[Spktyr]

It's California. Between that and the Supremes striking down the juvenile death penalty, what the heck do you expect?

[bd476]

Radio news just said: the kid has been charged with murder - could serve up to 12 years.

[bd476]

Ping.

[withteeth]

I can't help but feel sorry for the g_dm murdering KID, too.

[nopardons]

Sad,but true.