Comments on: 4 Year Old’s Body Found, 14 Year Old Arrested and Charged

By: paola

paola — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:51:26 +0000

ALEX IS IN HEAVEN WITH GOD…. (R.I.P)

By: Crystal

Crystal — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:59:27 +0000

I agree that the laws should be stricter but America’s laws are better then the laws in some other countries. If Elizabeth Olten and Alex Christopher Mercado had been murdered in Canada, they wouldn’t stand a chance at getting justice. Their killers would have been tried as kids, had their identities protected forever and likely placed in a juvenile detention center until they where 18. After that they would be free to go on with their life like nothing happened.

By: sharon

sharon — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:10:22 +0000

Even when perpetrators do end up in jail - - - -whoops!- - - - they are set free due to an “administrative error” in a clerk’s office. This has happened in my county. The perp is not sought after. Perhaps administrative errors are more frequent than expected. Why would any agency involve yet other agencies to undo embarassing “administrative errors?

By: treece

treece — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:44:19 +0000

LWOP yes!!!! Think how many victims would have been spared if all these repeat offenders had of been sentenced to LWOP the first time.

By: m2c

m2c — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:24:41 +0000

Hi, scareypoet! I agree with you! You said, “Intentional harming of a child is a crime that should be punished by life without parole.”

We do not want those criminals to walk free again. To even have the CHANCE to molest, rape, abuse or murder anyone - especially a child again.

To me this isn’t even a question of how good or bad our parole system is. We just do not want them back in society. The penalty for hurting a child should be LWOP.

By: m2c

m2c — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:18:25 +0000

katfish, I am sure you are not so naiive as to be unaware of the violence in prisons, gangs, beatings, rapes, murders and riots? You didn’t really mean “How hard is it to behave in prison?”

The “determinate sentencing” you describe sounds completely self-serving on the part of the prisons. I understand it. They want to avoid the violence. It’s a nuisance and costs the corrections system money.

But who pays the price? The public. Sure, the prisoners MIGHT behave and therefore have little to fear from each other, but when they get out?
OMG! There’s nothing to protect us from them.

By: katfish

katfish — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:16:47 +0000

In my state they don’t have parole, they have something instead called determinate sentencing.

Under determinate sentencing all prisoners except murderers are eligible to earn up to half off their sentences but ONLY measured objectively by their own good behavior - not some politically appointed board.

Every day they are good, they earn a day off their sentence. (Some serious non murder cases like aggravated rape can only earn 15% off and murders as of 1993 can not earn any time off.)

My only issue with this is…just how hard is it to behave in prison when you’re locked up?

By: soykk1995

soykk1995 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:55:27 +0000

I have a 14-year-old daughter and to think that she could be capable of something as horrendous as this is just astronomical but I’m sure that the parents of these other 14-year-old children thought the same thing. I’ve had extensive conversations with my children about the dangers of repressed anger and holding in feelings. I do all that I can to be available for my children when they need me and I try to know where they are and what they’re doing at all times but you can’t be with them every second of the day. It scares me to think that I could allow my children to walk down the street to their friends’ houses and never see them again. What a horrific world!

By: mlee

mlee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:52:47 +0000

Jan, thank you for the article, I know this is heartbreaking, and I so wish I had answers for why these things occur, and how they could be stopped. I don’t know. My heart goes out to the Family of this little one. I have recently heard on TV, that it appears a war on women and children has begun.. I think it began many many years ago, and its just truly coming to light, and has our attention.

By: ms.peridot19

ms.peridot19 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:26:00 +0000

jan,

this is absolutely heartbreaking. thank you for writing the articles you do. i think, bringing attention to the fact we need to do a better job protecting our children, will make a difference.

my deepest sympathies go to Alex Mercado’s family and friends.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:56:52 +0000

I live in Missouri, and hearing about Elizabeth hurt me so bad. To think a id my age killed a 4-year-old is breaking my heart. What kind of world have we come to?

By: DL

DL — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:49:10 +0000

Hey, A Little Bird told me said: The girl with the DUI was just being used as an example of how lax the courts are, by not checking the backgrounds of those charged with a crime, and giving out much lighter punishments. The DUI girl was just an example that the courts are not doing their job correctly, and that the DUI case, was not an as heavy duty case as a murder case. So if the courts can not handle a lighter case, it goes to show that they surly do not know how to handle a heavy duty case correctly. You read and took her story the wrong way. So, you SHOULD NOT say “shame on u”, to Jan. Her story was good

By: a little bird told me

a little bird told me — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:59:25 +0000

the justice system lets loose OJ and robert Blake for murder and you complain about some poor girl with a dui? shame on u

By: scarypoet

scarypoet — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:34:12 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. A 20 year sentence is a 20 year sentence. Period. I live in a area where violence is a way of life. When a murder or rape occurs, and the perp is caught, he/she almost always has a record of other violent crimes. Many times the offender has already beaten several people or used a weapon to commit a robbery. The courts are too lenient. American urban areas are suffering an epidemic of violence and much of it is against kids. The state I live in is awash with child molesters who are on record. They seldom lose the urge and many go right on molesting again and again. I can count at least three who have gone on to kill their next victim(s). If these scumbags had remained in jail, their victims would be alive and well. Intentional harming of a child is a crime that should be punished by life without parole.

By: looking for justice

looking for justice — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:35:28 +0000

I have signed the petition to stop abuse and murder. I feel for this family. We have to find a way to stop these crimes on children!! This is truely heart breaking. Praying for this family.