Times may be different and all that, but I say screw that, the child should come first and not be left alone. I’m not blaming the parents instead of the teenage thugs, I just would never leave a 12 year old home alone, not old enough in my book. No matter her age the same thing would have happened of course, but a parent/grandparent there may have made all the difference.
I stayed home all summer long with just my 14-year-old sister when I was 12. There’s not much of an option when both your parents have to work and your nearest relative is a state away. Back then, home invasions were unheard of. But, I’m not sure anything could be different if I was 12 in 2007 instead of 1985.
I was babysitting at 12. I think it depends on the child. Besides, grandpa was obviously close enough to check on her. This is horrific. I would be shocked to find out that these thugs did not have many run-in with the law in the past. I am sure there are many people who ran interference for them and their families throughout the years, they are to blame, not the family.