At my very first blog TheTrenchcoat Chronicles I blog mostly about school shootings. When one unfortunately happens and the suspect is under 18 I usually hear from a very vocal group. I call them the Kids Criminal Crowd but they’re the advocacy groups who think, and substantially state, that no teen should ever be tried as an adult. As someone who has written about school shootings for the past 8 years I wholeheartedly disagree.

Take for example these kids from Boca Raton, Florida. I present to you William Long Jr., 18; Eddie Otaegui, 17; Alex Perriello, 16; Blake Carter, 14; and Ryan Lafferty, 14. Now let’s take Mr. Long out of the mix because he’s 18 but we’ll focus on the others ranging in age from 14 to 17. They’re being charged as adults in connection to a crime.

Now usually when there’s a shooting or a murder by someone under the age of 18 the Helen Lovejoy’s of the world, as I also refer to them, like to claim that the perpetrator was too young too be tried as an adult and that it’s not really a crime but it’s more of a mistake. Never mind the body laying over there it was merely a mistake.

Now in this crime from Boca Raton we have two victims. The victims are two girls ages 13 and 14. The crime committed on them? In my opinion you can’t call it anything less than gang rape.

The group is accused of getting the two drunk on New Year’s Eve and sexually assaulting them.

Neighbors called police after hearing one of the girls screaming. According to the report, officers found one of the girls unconscious and in a fetal position on the ground. The other girl was found nearby moaning and unresponsive. Both teens were taken to West Boca Medical Center for treatment of minor cuts and swelling, according to police.

Does that sound like just a mistake? Putting the argument of where were the girls’ parents aside these five willingly took it upon themselves to rape these two girls. That’s not a ‘mistake’. What they allegedly did was very decisive and calculated. Yet I doubt even the advocacy groups will stand up for any of these 5. They like to pick and choose their crimes where they can make the criminal look like the victim. I doubt even they could make rapists look like victims. Not to mention the fact that one of the suspects is 18. Would they then defend only four of the suspects?

A lot of people say that our society is too harsh for charging teens as adults. I say it’s not harsh enough. Maybe they should start charging parents along with these juvenile murderers and rapists. Then maybe some parents will actually get back to the responsibility of parenting.

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