GUILTY CA - Leila Fowler, 8, murdered, 12yo charged, Valley Springs, 27 Apr 2013 - #3

[The Cheese]

On Sunday, the Fowler family was allowed back into their Rippon Road home, a relative who did not want to go on camera told KCRA 3.

The relative said he would be surprised if IF was convicted, and that the family is not happy with the Sheriff Department's investigation or the outcome.

Jim Rebstock, who organized a spaghetti dinner to raise money for the Fowlers, said some people are now asking for their money back because they are afraid the funds will be used to defend the boy in court.

“There’s people out here who have already convicted him, already lynched him and already, you know, made their judgments," Rebstock said.



Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news.../20115758/-/xxmt1m/-/index.html#ixzz2T97v8Sxz

 

[Linda7NJ]

I feel so bad for the parents. A murdered baby girl, a killer son, shunned by the community. They need support & compassion. I can't even imagine a worse nightmare.


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[mrsu]

So sad to see this. It was also my gut instinct.

Can someone tell me if this was her bio brother or step brother? And do we know if there was any evidence of abuse to little Leila?

I'm sorry if this isn't allowed but the first thing that comes to mind is that she was being abused by the brother (or made to touch the brother, etc.) and she finally said no, or that she was going to tell, etc. Would also explain the fact that everyone said they had a close relationship.

Very sad. Makes me sick that the brother was arrested.

 

[StephanieHartPI]

Oh My God, this is serious?
Since the begining of this case, everywhere on the internet many many many people said the brother did it.
I never really doubt the brother, since we have witness that claim to saw the same man description as the brother saw.
Oh my, this is very sad.
And how did the brother hide all the knives evidence?
And how did the neighbor (the one that decline her story of saw the man run out of the house), how does she come up with the same description as the brother?
Did she hear the brother describe the intruder first? And she just go along with it?
I found it STRANGE that if the neighbor and the brother never talk to each others, but both descriptions describe the intruder come out to be the same.

This is not like that one case that the brother and his friend was falsely charge for killing his sister, and many years later it turn out to be the homeless man did it? Michael Crowe, I think that the case.

The last thing I read about 30 min ago indicated there were discrepancies in the two stories at the beginning. Maybe they wanted the puzzle to fit.. but nope...

 

[Kaliste]

So sad to see this. It was also my gut instinct.

Can someone tell me if this was her bio brother or step brother? And do we know if there was any evidence of abuse to little Leila?

I'm sorry if this isn't allowed but the first thing that comes to mind is that she was being abused by the brother (or made to touch the brother, etc.) and she finally said no, or that she was going to tell, etc. Would also explain the fact that everyone said they had a close relationship.

Very sad. Makes me sick that the brother was arrested.

The boy arrested is her bio brother.

 

[vasportsmom]

So sad to see this. It was also my gut instinct.

Can someone tell me if this was her bio brother or step brother? And do we know if there was any evidence of abuse to little Leila?

I'm sorry if this isn't allowed but the first thing that comes to mind is that she was being abused by the brother (or made to touch the brother, etc.) and she finally said no, or that she was going to tell, etc. Would also explain the fact that everyone said they had a close relationship.

Very sad. Makes me sick that the brother was arrested.

Bio brother. The younger brother was a half sibling to them.

 

[Elainera]

On Sunday, the Fowler family was allowed back into their Rippon Road home, a relative who did not want to go on camera told KCRA 3.

The relative said he would be surprised if IF was convicted, and that the family is not happy with the Sheriff Department's investigation or the outcome.

Jim Rebstock, who organized a spaghetti dinner to raise money for the Fowlers, said some people are now asking for their money back because they are afraid the funds will be used to defend the boy in court.

“There’s people out here who have already convicted him, already lynched him and already, you know, made their judgments," Rebstock said.


Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news.../20115758/-/xxmt1m/-/index.html#ixzz2T97v8Sxz

This is very sad but understandable. This family is going through double and triple hell!

@Cheese, I think the boy's name has to be abbreviated. I changed it in the quote.

 

[vasportsmom]

This is very sad but understandable. This family is going through double and triple hell!

@Cheese, I think the boy's name has to be abbreviated. I changed it in the quote.

If the family really is unhappy with the investigation then I'm very surprised by the stepmom's FB post (quoted in CNN article). She gave no indication that she felt IF was wrongly accused. IMO her post read more as a "give us time to digest this news" statement than a "we think this was bungled and our son is innocent" declaration.

 

[Elainera]

I don't think it was sophisticated and efficient, at all. He stabbed her over and over and she still had life. I have a suspicion (just my opinion) that the time frame is different then we the public believe. He gave himself time to clean him, I'm sure. That doesn't mean he did it well. He could jump in the shower and be clean in a matter of minutes. The fact that they retrieved so much DNA and fingerprints, leads me to think he did a very poor job cleaning.

I don't think he necessarily had to have any injuries. There are several scenarios that come into my mind. The biggest, is she was asleep when he attacked her. There would be no defensive wounds, if she was incapacitated during a sleep. The fact that he stabbed her so many times and she still was alive, makes me believe he is very inexperienced and manic. What if most of the "stabs" were not very deep, or he was actually cutting...rather then deeply stabbing? He could have been stabbing and dropping the knife each time, or stabbing getting up in panic, and continuing, etc. I don't think he would have to have injuries, at all. Ugh...I don't even like thinking about this. I really have to stop there.

bbm - How do you know she was still alive? Was there any reporting on that? Maybe he killed her within the first 2 or 3 stabs and then just acted out his rage. - - - ETA: never mind, I was wrong, missed the piece of info that she died in hospital!

I'm still puzzled that he didn't cut or stab himself accidentally. It seems so very unlikely for a child who has never done this before. But if he did have stab wounds or cuts on his hands or arms it seems equally unlikely that LE wouldn't immediately arrest him, or the family wouldn't be very suspicious.

It also seems unlikely to me that he cleaned up well enough to pass the first inspection by LE. He's a 12 year old boy, they aren't usually great at cleaning up after themselves. And especially after such a violent and highly emotional event, rational and organized thinking would be highly impaired for some time.

Possibly quite some time (hours) passed after the killing before he called his father, allowing him to calm down and collect himself, clean up, and make up the intruder story. How long were the rest of the family at the game? (iirc it was a game they had all gone to?)

To me, this new scenario (boy killed sister) sounds almost as unbelievable as the earlier intruder story.

 

[blue22]

bbm - How do you know she was still alive? Was there any reporting on that? Maybe he killed her within the first 2 or 3 stabs and then just acted out his rage.

I'm still puzzled that he didn't cut or stab himself accidentally. It seems so very unlikely for a child who has never done this before. But if he did have stab wounds or cuts on his hands or arms it seems equally unlikely that LE wouldn't immediately arrest him, or the family wouldn't be very suspicious.

It also seems unlikely to me that he cleaned up well enough to pass the first inspection by LE. He's a 12 year old boy, they aren't usually great at cleaning up after themselves. And especially after such a violent and highly emotional event, rational and organized thinking would be highly impaired for some time.

Possibly quite some time (hours) passed after the killing before he called his father, allowing him to calm down and collect himself, clean up, and make up the intruder story. How long were the rest of the family at the game? (iirc it was a game they had all gone to?)

To me, this new scenario (boy killed sister) sounds almost as unbelievable as the earlier intruder story.

LE said thay she was alive when they arrived and was declared dead at the hospital. I do not have the link to the video of the presser. If you look back through the original thread, there are the presser links for that info.

 

[Elainera]

LE said thay she was alive when they arrived and was declared dead at the hospital. I do not have the link to the video of the presser. If you look back through the original thread, there are the presser links for that info.

Thank you blue, I just saw it too. My mistake. I came to this case somewhere in the middle and must have missed that fact.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Thank you blue, I just saw it too. My mistake. I came to this case somewhere in the middle and must have missed that fact.

It was reported but I am not considering it a fact.


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[Elainera]

Some cases should be tried as adults. Some are that heinous.
If he is guilty I don't hold my breath on rehabilitation. Can it happen? Absolutely. Only time will tell....all too often, though, I have seen where stuff like this is just the starting point. Young violent offenders have a lot against them....if they truly want to rehabilitate themselves.
However way too many people underestimate them because of their age.

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I cringe when I think of the kids in the Jonesboro shootings or poor little Jamie Bulger. Stuff like that should be in prison forever....you can't rehab mass murder or torturing a child. I tend to look for the best in many and look for hope
in many situations. Young violent offenders stats are bleak though. If of course this young man is guilty.....I still hope not but.....well there are a lot of "buts."
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fragile you sound very knowledgable and professional - is this your professional background? If so I would like to know more, like how likely is it that this is his first violent offence?

And 12 year old just stares in all the photos of him that I have seen.

Yes, I noticed that too. It's creepy. He seems very detached.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

It seems very unlikely that the parents would leave the 12 year old at home in charge of the 8 year old if they didn't think he was responsible. It leads me to think that he wasn't showing any concerning behavioral problems, etc.

 

[MustlyLurking]

this is just devastating. My own guess with absolutely no real info would be when they questioned him (age 12) their radar went up. However, that neighbor that corroborated in a way, the intruder story by saying she saw a man run from the scene, just totally confused the situation.

What the heck could have happened, was he hiding another crime? He just got mad over something we think is small? This will unfold now, what a tragedy. 21 stab wounds...

We have been thinking that the neighbor was a nut and a nuisance, but it may turn out otherwise. Possibly, she did see the killer as he ran down to the pond to dispose of the evidence. She may not have realized that she saw a tall 12 year old, instead of the adult. It is even possible that LE did not want to distribute the composite suspect, because they recognized the face.

Unfortunately, we may never know... Because the legal case will go through the juvenile system, the truth may not be available to the public.

 

[katydid23]

It seems very unlikely that the parents would leave the 12 year old at home in charge of the 8 year old if they didn't think he was responsible. It leads me to think that he wasn't showing any concerning behavioral problems, etc.

One would think so, but....?

After working in a elementary and middle school for years, I don't have much faith in many parent's abilities to see their kids clearly.

 

[MustlyLurking]

I understand why we can't ask those questions here (about the parents) but to a large degree I think that they are fair, though difficult, questions. Maybe it is because I really, really want the parents to be at fault. It is easier for me to accept that adults failed this child than to accept that a child, the same age as my own, just suddenly became a murderer without warning.

Please have a little more compassion for the parents. Try to resist faulting them so quickly. For all we know, they are fine people who are doing everything possible to love and nurture their kids. They have not been charged or implicated in any sort of wrongdoing.

On the substance, I am right there with you wondering. Then I think about the incredible magnitude of what has fallen on them. We will all wonder for some time and we will eventually move on to other issues and interests. But, not them. They have a very tough road ahead of them.

 

[Melanie]

I feel so bad for the parents. A murdered baby girl, a killer son, shunned by the community. They need support & compassion. I can't even imagine a worse nightmare.


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I agree. I'm sad that some people are shunning this family. Can you imagine the support they need right now? Not only the parents, but the children as well.

I don't think the family rec'd hundreds of thousands -- certainly not enough to cover a defense.

The whole situation is tragic and I'd hate for the entire family to be shunned

MOO

Mel

 

[MustlyLurking]

From the article: "a donor had stepped forward to cover burial costs for the Fowler family"

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130513/A_NEWS/305130307

 

[Scottndianner]

I think the parents knew or suspected from the start. Right away, they did not want to appear on camera or have photos released. JMO

I have several friends that live in VS. There is much chatter around town. They said that IF gave at least 2 different versions of the events...He was in the bathroom, then he was outside playing...I have also noticed some chatter on the VS bulletin board, that some suspect more arrest(s) due to cover up?

Ughh...I feel so sick about this entire story. My heart truly aches for this family, and I cannot stop myself from feeling sadness and pain for the 12yo....Not to say he should not be punished, that is a given...but, why did he do it? I always look for the, why? What signs, if any did he display, of some sort of behavioral issue? Was he ever diagnosed ADD/ADHD? Was he on medication?? I know these questions may never be answered, and maybe it will just take time....