Newspaper+Article

The National

** Murder by a Minor ** By Danielle
 * An arrest is made in the controversial case of a student's murder by another student at a local school

 What would you do if you looked at the television, the 6:00 news, and as the top story came on, a picture of your friend was on the screen? That is what happened to a teenager in this fictional story, and it could happen to you. At just 14 years of age, Carrie’s (name changed) friend Jo was arrested. Upon seeing the story on the TV, Carrie says she picked up the remote off the coffee table and quickly turned up the volume to hear what the news anchor had to say. “I was shocked, it was so difficult to see my best friend being put into a police car, surrounded by news people,” Carrie said in an exclusive interview with our newspaper. To her shock, Carrie’s friend had been arrested for murder, as a suspect in the death of a fellow student. Evidence proved Jo guilty of killing a fellow student, (details have not yet been released,) and the world watched through cameras on national television as Jo was put in the back of a police car, and escorted into a local juvenile detention center.  “I am in utter disbelief, and I don’t even know at all what to say.” Carrie told me. “I actually have talked to her once, when they questioned and then released her, and she was calm, yet at the same time panicking. She didn’t tell me if she was guilty or not, but I kind of knew. I was watching TV when they showed the arrest a week later. It was a moment I’ll never forget, like a scene from a TV show.” When asked what she had to say to the victim's family, Carrie replied, “I knew the victim, really well, and can’t say how sorry I am. I had nothing to do with the crime, and at the same time I feel responsible because I know Jo. I feel like I should have been able to prevent this whole thing.”  I also interviewed the victim’s mother, and her name is also changed, because not all of the family has been notified. When I asked what she wanted to see when the judge sentences Jo, she replied, “I don’t know what I want to see. I knew Jo, and I invited her into our home before, and if asked this question earlier I might have responded not as harshly, but the victim was my daughter,” Annie says, through tears, “but because it was my daughter, I have different thoughts. I want to say don’t put her through this much (trialing and sentencing,) but I also want to see her locked up, not only because I want to see her punished for what she did, but because I would want to make sure she couldn’t harm anyone else.” Trial is pending and Jo is being held in a juvenile center while awaiting her trial.  Think, if this were your friend, or if you were one of the victim’s family members. Remember this story is not real, but if you were in the jury, how would you sentence Jo, or one of the real kids or teenagers who has been on trial for this type of crime. Think about if your friend was arrested for murder, or worse, your friend was the victim.  I feel that any person capable of killing should be punished accordingly. I definitely believe that even minors can reason well enough to know that killing is a severe crime, and also know that any crime is indeed a crime, and is wrong. We also know that these kids and teenagers have to get the idea to commit these crimes from somewhere. A person does not just wake up and think that they are going to commit murder, at least I hope not. These types of crimes must be premeditated, in almost all cases, and people who try and sentence these juveniles need to remember that. I truly think we need to send across the message that these crimes, especially murder, are intolerable. Even kids can't be excused. We cannot send the message that if a kid kills someone, it's okay; that's not right. While I feel that the death penalty is too harsh for minors, we need to get the message across that killing is wrong, no matter how old you are.  The only problem these kids have is their understanding of the concept of death. These kids are constantly exposed to the idea of killing and death, throughasdf both television and very violent and graphic video games. I don't want to tell people not to watch these TV shows, because they can be educational, but I feel that if a parent is allowing a child to watch these kind of things, they need to face the topic and reinforce the message. Video games are an entirely different story. At least at the end of a crime show people are usually arrested and charged,and killing is clearly shown as wrong, but in a video game, killing is encouraged and usually necessary. Kids aren't getting a true sense of the finality of death. They push the reset button and everyone that just died is now standing up and shooting at them again. Then these parents are incredulous that their child opened the gun cabinet and was playing with the firearms. But then again, the parents could be killed by a child "playing" with a firearm. These television and video games have ratings for a reason. No young child needs to see a person being violently killed, much less a small child killing a virtual character.  Adults have a big responsibility to kids, and the number of violent crime involving teens and children even younger, makes me wonder if we are facing our responsibility.

//Note from the writer: This story is fictional, it didn't really happen, however, similar cases have been dealt with.//