[Cicero]

The dead perp was 15 years old and mentally disabled. I would guess that he admired his older friend, and just went along with him on the burglary attempt. Probably sounded like an exciting game.

If so, then the police are probably right to charge the older boy as responsible for his murder, because the older boy, who should have known better, led the kid into trouble.

[Secret Agent Man]

it’s always right to charge any surviving criminals with murder if a homeowner shoots one in self-defense. always. i wish this was a nationwide law. make some of the dumb idiots contemplating their boredom to maybe think twice about a murder sentence to serve, before they’re a hardened career criminal.

[Celtic Conservative]

It has nothing to do with what the older boy did. It's called the felony murder rule. because they were in the commission of a felony anything that happens arising from the commission of said felony is chargeable to them. If not for the felony the homeowner wouldn't have been forced to defend himself, which resulted in the death of one of the boys. BTW , I find it irritating the way the journalist phrased the article to make it sound like the other boy was being unreasonably charged in the first boys death.

CC

[ops33]

Marc, I think your analysis is spot-on.