Posted on 07/17/2013 2:37:17 PM PDT by Wellington VII
(CBS/AP) MILWAUKEE- John Henry Spooner, a 76-year-old Milwaukee man, was found guilty Wednesday of fatally shooting his 13-year-old neighbor whom he suspected had broken into his home and stolen weapons. The trial now shifts into a second phase in which the defense will try to prove the defendant was mentally ill at the time of the shooting.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
At 76 you're not a kid anymore...not in any way.People of that age are known to have noticeable,if not substantial,brain deterioration.There are 100 different things that can cause that deterioration,a series of small strokes being just one.The guy *could*,I suppose,have a serious brain disorder.One clue,apart from certain brain scans,is to look at his past.If he's always been a bum...always been difficult...that would argue against an insanity plea.But if he experienced a recent change from respectable to "difficult" that could argue in favor of such a plea.
WOW! Old Ad!
Back in the 60s I use to dish this stuff out to patients at the state laughing academy. I was an aid, kind of a Mr Ratchett to a group of McMurphys while in college. It would quiet down most of them.
It’s a very sad situation of course. No loving parent ever want that. What I have never seen discussed is why the old man ever thought the boy stole over 3K in guns anyway. It could be as he states, an elderly man in the throes of dementia, making something out of absolutely nothing, OR it could be that the child had a history of theft, however petty. Nobody wants to talk about that now, nor do they really need to.
this case btw is NOTHING like the Martin case...this boy was at his home, in his neighborhood, not doing anything unusual, with his mother watching, and the old coot just shot him, for no good reason....he'll die in prison as he should....
sure, there is mental deterioration but some studies show that older people actually are better thinkers than young people....so I don't buy any excuses..
its time that older people face the consequences of their actions...like plowing thru 10 people with their cars....
lets stop making excuses for this guy....
This guy WAS guilty beyond all reasonable doubt. The verdict was right here. What a horrible thing for that mother to lose her child in her arms like that.
I wonder if the neighbor’s mom has sold the shotguns yet.
I read elsewhere that they searched the child’s house and the weapons were not found.
The old man shot the wrong person.
My screen and keyboard now hate you. LOL
And, of course, it doesn’t much matter if the kid stole them. It’s not like the guy caught him in the act and shot him to prevent the theft. He confronted him days later, and shot him during that confrontation - there’s not a state in the country where that would be legal even if the kid has stolen the guns, nor should there be.
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