Blogging from Phoenix: In a State where a majority of adults consider creationism a valid science, they still tend to buy the rope before they pick a jury. So it come as no surprise to learn several outside legal experts and child Physiologists who viewed the interrogation video, question a confession police and prosecutors claim, is the honest to gosh unprompted and all together spontaneous expression of an eight year old, who they continue to maintain with a straight face. Came home from school and decided to kill his Dad and another man in cold blood, because he was upset. I have provided a link to the interview/interrogation here.
Arizona for the most part is much like the big easy was before Katrina, corruption is party centered and generational, interwoven into the fabric of local and state institutions, deception and abuse by authority is systemic and the rule rather than exception, an unsightly flaw easily observed in most every facet of bureaucracy and generally ignored by those who want to get ahead. Since the powers that be feel the solution to homeless children is to put them on chain gangs, it would’t shock me in the least if it turns out the youngster was coerced from the get go and completely innocent.
Local media initially reported as gospel fact, the states claim the boy methodically gunned down his dad and another man, that’s simply how mainstream news is covered in Phoenix. Politics not journalistic ethics are the prerequisite editors and producers consider when hiring reporters for the mainstream press and television affiliates. On those occasions when a local story does moves up the food chain and become a part of the national news cycle, the local hackery can be depended on to do a quick two step and join the pack.
Happily in the last few years, some progressive democrats have managed to carve out niches in State and local officialdom. The system has improved a little, In this case for example whether the boy is guilty or not, at least he didn’t accidentally die while in police custody a few hours after making his spontaneous admission. Death and permanently disability while in police custody was a frequent coincidence a few years back, even for suspects who later turned out to be completely innocent.
The Judge hearing the case is allowing the boy a few days out of juvenile detention so he can spend thanksgiving with his Mother. And he has told prosecutors they have fifteen days to decide if they will charge him as an adult or minor. Despite a gag order folks inside the prosecutors office and police department have been leaking information in a vain attempt to put the best possible spin on an investigation that was clearly mismanaged from the start and is falling apart by the hour,
The Judge has is the habit of most judges in Arizona, essentionally blamed the elite liberal media for creating national interest in the case. He promised to start jailing reporters who have the temerity to continue publishing relevant facts or photos related to the tragedy. Despite the Judges admonishment several media sources outside his jurisdiction continue to report facts and publish photos. It would seem In Arizona modern investigative techniques and forensic science must still be considered new fang-led technology and the right thinking folk would rather rely on and obtain justice and confessions to heinous crimes the old fashioned way even when it evolves eight year old children.
That’s my view yours may be different
psburton
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13 users commented in " Eight Year Old Arizona Boys Murder Confession Questioned "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackbackthis is horrible, ive watched the interrogation tapes over and over, the poliece clearly lead this boy into this confession, he also stated he saw a car leave the scene, why what is wrong with these people, i do not think for one minute this boy did that and premeditated?? most 8 yr old have trouble remembering thier chores, and school work much less to plan a murder, who are the poliece covering for?? i teach my child to respect and trust the police, then you see something like this he did what he was suppose to go to a neighbor and call poliece and look what happened can you immagine how scared he was, first comming home to his dad murdered then having to go through this??? unbelievable! i hope this boy goes home soon where he belongs
I totally agree they had no right to question this boy without an adult relative or a cps case workr there with the child..I think someone told that boy to say that…or there is a dark secrt no one knows about..but regardless they had no right to do that interrogatoin like that!!!
The police, the prosecutor, and the judge should be charged with child abuse. The FBI should be called in to take over and investigate this felony violation of civil rights under color of law. This is beyond an outrage and flies far beyond the twilight zone. The child should be immediately released to his mother.
A five year old believes a body is a bag of skin containing blood. A six to seven year old has no concept of death. They are just starting to understand this means the person is not coming back home. They think the person is sleeping.
All of us know that five year olds have no concept of time - “is it time yet!” An eight year old thinks a body is a bag of skin with bones randomly placed in it.
Children this age are good mimics and repeat what they hear adults say and what is said on TV but they don’t know what they are saying or what the words really mean. They mimic TV and the line between fantasy (what they see on TV) and reality is blurry for them. That’s why they believe so much in boogey men under the bed and in closets.
My son was five and I was called by a baby sitter in panic when she told me that he “knew everything about sex” so some one must be abusing him or telling him everything. The sitter often watched soap operas during the day and they show couples in bed in their bedrooms under the blankets with lights out. The word “sex” is used but not explained. I later found out the sitter would tell the kids to go away from the TV and play in a stern voice whenever bedroom scenes came on. She told the kids they shouldn’t watch because there was “sex.” The subconscious message was bedroom scenes were “bad.”
At dinner I had a casual playful conversation with my son and worked in the word “sex” by saying - “someone told me the word sex today - it sounds bad”. My son said that the sitter didn’t want him to say the word because it was “bad”. I asked him what it meant. He said: “Its when you shut off the lights and tickle each other under the covers.” Then he had a big giggle and ate his pie.
To get even with the sitter for scolding him about being naughty my son used what he knew would press her button. Even a two year old learns to manipulate before he understands what he is doing! He told her: “I know what you do with uncle Joe under the covers.” Uncle Joe and Aunt Carol let my son sleep over to play with their dog, when I am out of town or there is a special event like a baseball game my brother and son like to watch together (my son lost his father so interactions with my brother were important). Aunt Carol, the sitter, thought this meant adult sex and had a cow. My son only knew that Auntie thought the activities under the cover were “bad”. He didn’t know what those activities were - so he imagined them - tickles.
I think this is a case similar to the Ryan Harris murder in Chicago where two little boys were charged after false confessions and an atrocious interview and later exonerated when the DNA matched an adult.
I am a pediatrician and the interview was atrocious. If you want to put words in a child’s mouth and manipulate them into confessing to something they didn’t do, all the techniques are illustrated on this video - be nice start out with facts and then move to theoreticals and abstract concepts which you lead on - imply what you want - voila! - you get a confession! Children LOVE to please.
The biggest mistake is that children DO NOT understand the abstract at this age (death, murder, life, love, suffering). Abstract is beyond their grasp. Consequences are beyond their grasp unless they are short term. Premeditation for more than a short time is beyond their grasp and cannot involve the abstract.
The child was learning hunting from his fasther. Perhaps his father taught him to be humane and put a wounded animal out of its misery because it was “suffering”. The child then was taught to equate “suffering” with the sight of blood. The child could have been equating blood with being wounded and talking about putting the men out of their misery by shooting them, even if the child did not shoot them. Was he talking in the concrete or the abstract; past, present, or future? You can’t take what he said literally!
Words at this age may not connect with actions. They may be used as if in reality but in actuality the child is discribing fantasy, or mixing up past actions with present (shooting a wounded squirral v seeing his dad covered with blood). They don’t communicate precisely. Actions don’t connect with results very well. They are just learning these concepts.
Children are NOT little adults! Shame on everyone who thinks that this interview has ANY inculpatory evidence whatsoever. The child should not be in juvenile jail. He should be home with his mommy.
For the press to perpetuate this myth that the boy shot or murdered his father and the border is obscene. The press should be ashamed. Perhaps they should study Edward R. Murrow and learn about ethics.
I am outraged at some of the press and comments I have seen. There is no proof that has been presented anywhere, other than this so-called confession, that this boy committed this crime. The only fact we know is that two grown men were murdered and we do not know who did it. Can you imagine what damage has been done to this child if he was NOT the murderer? He has been handcuffed, his ankles shackled and dragged into a courtroom. He was not permitted to attend his father’s funeral. He has a whole country of morons talking about him. At this point he probably doesn’t know if he did it or not, since these adults have convinced him that he did. If they had the right to release this video, I would certainly like to see the videos of the interviews with the Mom and the step mom, too. If it comes out that he is innocent I hope all of his accusers give him the help he is going to need to get over this. God bless and keep this little boy safe.
Ok if I walked in and saw my father lying in a pool of blood, the first thing i would do is grab him cry out to see if he was alive not kick him like some animal “suffering” either way somethinf is NOT RIGHT FROM EITHER END.
Dr. Shelton: Explain your comment, “..do not understand the abstract…i.e. suffering.” I think my 8 year old cousin knew he was raping his little sister. She fought him every time but was too young to complain. His parents & sister (and he too), 38 yrs later, still suffer all these years because they loved him so much and still do.
Maday:
For an eight year old to rape someone is an impossibility. Fondle, explore, yes; rape no! Your family is clearly having some difficulty understanding what happened 38 years ago. Children explore each other. It is the adults who should supervise and prevent this. Just like you tell a toddler not to pull down their pants in public. They don’t know that what they are doing is wrong until adults tell them such. Kids fight and harass each other. For your brother to forcefully explore your sister was wrong, but not rape! You don’t even really know the details of what happened. Please don’t call if rape. This is ridiculous. Rape is a sexual issue of overpowerment and degradation. An eight year old cannot understand these concepts let alone physically act them out! Unless there was premature puberty, an eight year old boy doesn’t even have the equipment to accomplish rape! For heaven’s sake. Don’t call this rape or even equate it with such. This is not the same as an eight-year old harassing and fighting with his younger sister and exploring her body. Have some common sense please. Children this young are NOT little adults with adult thoughts!
It’s just sickening the way they have treated this 8 year old boy, he should be released to his Mother. They don’t know who did this, but I suspect it was not this 8 year old boy. My God this is just horrible how they have him isolated in Juvie. Get the FBI involved these cops have no idea what they’re doing and the Judge, Cops whoever put him in handcuffs and shackles shoule be in jail themselves for abuse, I can not beleive the State of Arizona is allowing this where is the Governor, how could she allow this.
In response to maday said, an 8 year old can not rape anyone. He wouldn’t know what he was doing let alone he’s not hit puberty yet.
Even more terrifying than the possibility of an 8 year boy being accused of murders he probably could not have committed is that there are actually adults wanting to murder him, not much more than a baby. Even worst, is the fact that these adults are the ones we count on to protect us.
A police chief demanding the death of a young child is just disgusting. It makes me question him as a person and even more, him as a law enforcement officer. The district attorney is just as bad, both of them should be made to step down. The police who questioned the boy should be arrested and prosecuted for gross violations of his rights.
What amazes me is that if he were an adult all charges would be dropped because his rights were violated in every way possible. Not having an adult there on the boys side was illegal in every way possible.
The boy had to have been terrified. It seems like there is a big possibility not having anyone to protect him was just a way of life for him. The violence toward him by his step mother proved his dad was not there for him and his mother living in another state proves she was not there for him.
The thought that he may really have come home to find his father and friend dead and then, instead of being comforted and protected he was arrested, locked away and put through hours of interriogation and then hauled off to court, at times in shackles is just heart wrenching. What type of monster could bring himself to shackle a child. I guess the same type of monsters who could do all the injustices that have been done to him since the murders and the same type of monsters that would demand he be murdered.
I have cried for this little boy since the murders hapened. The thought that any one could think an 8 year old could be capable of reloading 8 times is just redicilous.
Why is the step mother not in jail and why would a fit father allow his child to be spanked 5 times over school work, much less anything else. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. I do not understand how anyone can say there definantly was not abuse in the home. No one was there to see what was going on.
How in the heck can an eight year old boy handle a weapon like that? the kick alone is enough to send me, 5′8″ 140 pound adult into an arm twist. Maybe one shot can be controlled to a point, but 3 more on top of it? Come on, the forensic evidence alone goes against this boys confession. There is in no way possible, that an 8 year old can handle that many rounds hitting accurately each time.
No miranda rights? Are you kidding me? What the heck is going on in that Republican town? I thought Republican’s were smarter then that, but then again, the last 8 years we have has the worst president in history. Bye far
I agree with all on here that think this little boy got a bomb wrap. I was so sickened by it all from the two women cohearsing this little boy on the video tape mind you with no parent, no lawyer, to the dumb arse police that have zero sense what so ever and obviously too lazy to hunt for the real original killer so let’s just dump it on the 8 year old. Any judge that gives the prosecution 12 days to decide whether they want to charge this child as an adult is in my opinion INSANE and should be run out of town and never be a allowed to judge a case again. An 8 year old is a baby. When did our justice system and the people of our country get so off course and jaded that they would even consider an 8 year old to be tried as an adult. IT is child abuse clearly, and child abuse to put shackles and handcuffs on a mere 8 year old baby. I do not believe for one minute this little boy killed his Dad and the boarder. If the child shot at all he only shot them to end their suffering like he was taught by his Dad when they went shooting prarie dogs and such. that is what the little boy was telling the dumb arse women interrogators but they could not leave it at that as that was not the answer they wanted so they kept on drilling the child. all should be in jail for a long long time for doing this to a child that could not defend or comprehend at this age what they were tricking him in to saying. Police should all be fired as the boy gave them clues with the white car speeding off and something about the hubcaps, but either they are protecting the killer or they are too lazy to find out what really happened and do their jobs. Something is fishy about the step-mom as she was the one that got them back on the little boys case as he was not a suspect until step-mom ran her big mouth, and why i say? I Say maybe she did it and she set up the little boy. maybe her hubby was part gay was having a gay affair with the boarder and she found out, or if not the step-mom maybe whomever was driving the white car was a man or men that hated gays if these two dead guys were in to gay that is, and they killed them. who knows what scenario it could be but there is no way i ever believed this little boy was the original shooter. I have heard this small town police force is corruptive so this does not surprise me. They have a killer still loose in that town so they need to get out and find out the real truth and person/persons that did this and clear this innocent little child’s name period.
just a thought, you got to remember this child is 8. His dummy Dad buys him a rifle and teaches him to shoot prarie dogs and bunnies and such. Dad taught him to kick at the animal to see if it was dead, that is what hunter’s do and if not dead they shoot it again. This father was an idiot in my opinion for buying a rifle for a child way to young, i read he left it out for the child to get at all times, how crazy is that? What do you end up with? an 8 yr.old not even old enough to buy a gun in the first place, a Father with not enough sense to keep it locked up when he was not around or could be with the child at all times while the gun was in use or out either one, this all leads to the little boy being traumatized for life now no doubt by a bunch of police interrogators when had the Dad not given a young kid a gun in the first place none of this would have ever happened to this chils as he would not have had knowledge to shoot anything for one . This Father clearly was so negligent and he should not have been teaching an 8 yr. old to kill living things. That to me is wrong too. too many dad’s want to make hunter’s out of their kids to brag on them when they are way too young for the responsibilty of a rifle or gun of any kind. I hope the Dead Dad is happy as he little child has been through hell and back thanks to his no sense and will most likely affect him the rest of his life.
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