WI - 10-year old charged as adult for shooting mother to death for refusal to buy VR headset - 12/3/22

[mickey2942]

What are we even doing in this country when we are charging a 10 year old with what appears to be well-documented, long-term mental health issues as an adult?

The problem is that with violent perpetrators, even a child, it moves from a "medical problem", ie, mental illness, to a "criminal issue", with a mentality of punishment and incarceration. It is a grey area to me, not black and white.

The problem is that once a perpetrator moves to "criminal", the opportunity for treatment and rehabilitation is minimal to none.

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Could it be that if they charge him as an adult, they can get him help they otherwise couldn't? Or to ensure he isn't released too early, before he's had the many years worth of help he clearly needs?

In Wisconsin the Law is that children 10 years old and over are automatically charged as adults for certain crimes, one of which is murder .

 

[rkendmar]

<modsnip>

Is it absolutely <modsnip> up that he did this to his mother? Yes, and he should face some sort of punitive action. <modsnip> He was 10 years old, trust me when I say a 10 year old acting this way did not have a normal childhood. I am not excusing his actions at all. AT all. But a variety of factors go into these sort of behaviors and I weep for the childhood he lost to his own illness.

Rest in peace to his poor mother, this is the worst possible way to go. She did not deserve this at all and I hope her soul rests easy. I pray that her loved ones find healing.

This is tragic all around and I hope the most painless route possible can be taken going forward.

"trust me when I say a 10 year old acting this way did not have a normal childhood"
It appears that some of them did not and some of them did. It's not as straightforward as we may think.
You may want to read this article previously posted by Breezie.
It discusses the nature vs. nurture issue.

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

The condition has long been considered untreatable. Experts can spot it in a child as young as 3 or 4. But a new clinical approach offers hope.

www.theatlantic.com

ETA: Link to article.

 

[Astrach99]

I am personally glad this boy is being charged as an adult. I hope he gets the psychological care he so clearly needs, but I also hope he goes to prison for a long, long time. If not, I fear we'll be seeing stories about this boy committing heinous acts 15-20 years down the line and be questioning why he was allowed to go free.

 

[Lilibet]

"trust me when I say a 10 year old acting this way did not have a normal childhood"
It appears that some of them did not and some of them did. It's not as straightforward as we may think.
You may want to read this article previously posted by Breezie.
It discusses the nature vs. nurture issue.

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

The condition has long been considered untreatable. Experts can spot it in a child as young as 3 or 4. But a new clinical approach offers hope.

www.theatlantic.com

ETA: Link to article.

Excellent and thought-provoking article. Thanks @Breezie and @rkendmar. Something that jumped out at me in the article is that these kids who are “budding psychopaths” haven’t chosen to lack empathy and have violent impulses that make them happy when they hurt someone. Their brains are wired differently as shown on MRIs and other tests. They can learn, with intensive treatment, to curb those impulses and have a degree of empathy, but how many of them get inpatient, appropriate treatment? It’s not something they will “outgrow” normally. And if they arrive in the criminal Justice system at age 10, all bets are off.

We recognize differences in brain wiring in generally non-violent and more manageable issues like autism and bipolar disorder. We see that they aren’t choices. But once a violent act is committed, we (as a society) don’t accept that the brain disorder that led to the violent act is not a choice. Yes, the violent act is a choice (in the moment) but not the wiring that made that act something positive for the perp in the first place. So what’s the solution? There obviously need to be consequences, but there also needs to be treatment. So where can this little boy go where he has the best chance to receive appropriate treatment? Mendota seems to be his best hope…if there is room. Or can he be sent to a treatment center out of state? I don’t think a juvenile facility until he is 25 will offer the kind of specialized treatment it appears he needs. The whole situation is such a tragedy.
JMO

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Thanks Elley!.

I can't imagine how hard it must have been for his Mother to try to parent him. It sounds like she was doing her best to get him help, but she was out of her depth, as I know I would be too.

I still do not believe it is ok to charge him as an adult, possible psycho/sociopath or not, because he is a child and his brain is nowhere near grown.
The part in the articles where his lawyer says he only has around $100 dollars from his piggy bank for bond is so sad, and adds weight to his comprehension of long term consequences imo.

I do believe he does need to be housed in a secure psych facility, for everyone's safety, for however long it takes to see if there is any way to help him, and for him to one day be safe to be out in the world.
There's no easy, clear cut option here is there?

He will need thorough psych eval and may be admitted short-term to a psych facility. But long-term psych facility for someone with conduct disorder who committed murder is not appropriate either.

 

[mickey2942]

I see more "reactive attachment disorder" here. Especially when it seems like he had little to no attachment to his mother. Impulse control issues. Anger management, definitely. No remorse for his actions.

That also matches the little girl in the article above, "nature/nurture", she was adopted, we don't know how she was treated before she was adopted. That time span from birth to age two is critical. <modsnip>

Just my opinion.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

I see more "reactive attachment disorder" here. Especially when it seems like he had little to no attachment to his mother. Impulse control issues. Anger management, definitely. No remorse for his actions.

That also matches the little girl in the article above, "nature/nurture", she was adopted, we don't know how she was treated before she was adopted. <modsnip>

The case of this little boy fits conduct disorder, not reactive attachment. Reactive attachment does not include setting fires, abusing animals, or showing cruelty toward others. While reactive attachment kids can be violent, the hallmark signs are withdrawal and sadness, and there has to be neglect by a caregiver in order to have the diagnosis. As far as we know, none of these core criteria are met in this little boy.

<modsnip>

 

[LaborDayRN]

I hope that charging him as an adult is a formality to get him the very-long-term mental health help he needs.

I wish real help was more easily available for families who have a child like this one. It sounds like they've needed help for a long time.

Also, I wish the family would have kept guns out of the reach of this child. (or any child for that matter).
Edited to add: I now see the gun was in a locked box. Unfortunately he knew where to find the keys.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[borndem]

Welcome to Websleuths,
youarethecoffin !!​

 

[imstilla.grandma]

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A doctor's report confirmed that the 10-year-old boy who is being charged as an adult after allegedly killing his own mother last November is competent proceed to trial as an adult.

On Friday, Judge Jane Carroll personally asked the boy, in front of the court, if he felt like he was competent, and what he said contradicted what his attorneys argued.

A two-part competency hearing date has been set for May 1-2 and the doctor is expected to testify to further explain.

Doctor's report finds 10-year-old boy charged as an adult in homicide legally 'competent'

See Also Complain

www.cbs58.com

 

[mickey2942]

Wow, I really don't like to see a 10 year old charged as an adult. But I am not surprised. He isn't a normal kid.

 

[Lusitana]

10 years old. Wow.

 

[cnmccarthy]

“Quiana was six credits shy of completing her master's of business degree, when the university heard about what happened to her, they immediately reached out to the family to let them know they wanted her to be part of graduation.”

Milwaukee mother killed, honored with posthumous degree at Concordia University

Quiana Mann was close to finishing her MBA when she was murdered in November

www.wisn.com