Posted on 06/02/2005 7:15:50 AM PDT by Puppage
TAMPA, Fla. -- In an attack that's rattled even veteran detectives, police in Florida said a 7-year-old boy has confessed to beating his baby sister to death.
Investigators said the boy was jealous of the attention the infant was getting and upset by her crying. They said the boy beat the baby with his fists, feet and a two-by-four.
The attack occurred in Tampa, while the boy was visiting his father.
Police said the father and his girlfriend were outside with neighbors when the boy came out and told them the baby was "bleeding." They said the seven-month-old had a bloody nose, and wasn't breathing. The parents rushed the baby to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
A spokesman said detectives noted they'd never seen someone so young "show so much violence and so little remorse."
"He's 7 years old. Do you believe he has the mental capacity to understand what he did?"
When I was about 3 (this is what my mother told me), my father took me to the grocery store, and I wanted a candy bar. He said "no"; I decided to take it anyway. We were about to leave the cashier when he discovered what I had in my hand. I was promptly spanked *in front of the cashier* and told to give it back. To this day I have never even thought about stealing anything.
Even though I don't remember the incident, I certainly learned my lesson - at 3 years old, no less. How's that for mental capacity? However cliche it sounds, it's squarely his parents' fault for not teaching him the value of right and wrong at a younger age.
The story of Cain and Able comes to mind.
They were outside on the lawn... Its not like they went to the store..
I don't think a 7 year old will ever be put death but look at Lionel Tate. Anyone here at the the time think he was going to be rehabilitated? Most FReepers probably thought he would lead a worthless life and he's proven us right. I don't know what you do with a 7 year old but it's probably too late for this boy. It's either the way he was raised, an unseen defect from birth, or both of those factors. Society will be hearing from/about this child again.
"If these children had a loving, stable, two-parent (original parents) home, this would not have happened."
Hard call to make there - I'm not sure of 100% of the details, but what about the would-be high school graduate who murdered his grandparents and friends before committing suicide? Wasn't his home stable? That's what I was led to believe, anyway.
Thanks for posting this story. I heard about it yesterday on the radio and couldn't find any other details.
These stories where young kids are killing babies and other young kids are heartbreaking.
"He's 7 years old. Do you believe he has the mental capacity to understand what he did? Just asking."
Do you believe he doesn't have the capacity to understand? If he doesn't have the capacity, why don't more 7 year olds kill? In fact, why don't 5 year olds, they have even less capacity to understand.
The fact is, he has enough reasoning ability to know he did something terribly wrong. At this point, he is a lost soul. I firmly believe he will be nothing but a burden on society for the rest of his days.
Death penalty? I don't know. Lock him away forever? Well, seems humane, but what kind of life is that? Prison doesn't rehabilitate, it hardens.
I don't have the answer, but I do believe this child is damaged beyond repair and should never be allowed to run free in society.
It's one of those "rectal estimates".
Wrong story. This is a 7 year old boy.
Unless he's retarded I don't buy this he didn't understand what he was doing excuse either. A year ago when my son was two, he understood what dead was. This boy was jealous, in a rage, and took action. That being said, I don't know what you do in this kind of case. He's not going to be executed so what do you do? It's a very sad and scary story.
What causes this? The influence of Satan, IMO.
No, the above was also an unstable home. If we are talking about the shootings at the farm houses in Ohio. The police had been called out to those farm houses at least 10 times in the recent past. At least that is what I heard on the news.
We will never completely, 100% stop these kind of crimes but we can greatly reduce them if parents would stop being such losers.....
No angle on the "achieve". I have been on FR for about 9 years and I (as well as others) have noticed that recently there are a lot more stories having to do with child abuse or child deaths. I am just trying to understand why.
This child has not recieved correction, obviously. So who is at fault. I say let's execute the parents (if anybody).
I think kids mature differently. I think some know by 7 what death is and what it means. I also think that at 7 a child knows that it is wrong to hit a baby, especially with a 2x4.
On the radio they said that the 7 year old kicked and pummeled the 7 month old as well as hit the baby with the 2x4. I think a 7 year old knows that it is wrong to hit and kick a baby. I think a 7 year old knows that hitting, kicking and being hit with a piece of wood is going to hurt. I also think the 7 year old must have realized that the hitting and kicking wasn't having enough effect, then went and got the 2x4. I think the 7 year old knew what they were doing.
Exactly. And it took the ninth post for someone to mention it.
I agree,
some of the worst abuse I've seen (and experienced, come to think of it) was in 'stable, two parent families'....
I mean, married forever, educated, job holding, church goin' etc.
There's a lot more to it than that. Sanity being one factor I guess. Having a soul may be another /sarcasm off.
"OK, but lets say the kid is raised watching movies like "House of a 1000 Corpses" from the time he's born (I know a kid like this)."
We had friends, who let their 4year old watch the most horrific scary movies, Creep Show and the like, but they couldn't figure out why he had nightmares! Honestly, they couldn't and when I suggested it might have something to do with his movie choices they disagreed saying, "oh no he really like those movies". We lost track of them when they divorced and then remarried other people. I wonder how their son turned out? He had lots of problems at age 9 when they divorced.
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