GUILTY CO - Charles, 50, & Marilyn Long, 51, murdered, Burlington, 1 March 2011

[not_my_kids]

The boy's uncle said the tragedy was beyond understanding. "It's a mystery to me. I don't know if anyone can explain it at this point and maybe never will be able to explain it."

He told reporters in Denver that he had not noticed anything untoward about his nephew. "He's a typical kid, probably liked to play video games, that kind of thing. I can't imagine what would have happened, what went through his mind."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/04/colorado-boy-alleged-shot-parents

"Probably" liked to play video games. Indicates to me that the extended family is not close to them. It could also be a simple misspoken word. I can expect the uncle to be a bit distraught.

Police found the bodies of Charles Long, 50, and his wife Marilyn, 51, in their Burlington, Colo., home Tuesday night after receiving a 911 call from the 12-year-old boy, ABC affiliate KMGH-TV reported.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-boy-12-held-parents-found-shot-dead/story?id=13040737

I know that he told 911 that three people were shot, but did he attemptto lie, to make up a fake scenario or assailant? To me, that would make ahuge difference in how he should be handled.

The other thing that I want to hear, only when and if they are ready, is any statement from the older siblings. Will they come out in support of their brother or in support of their parents? What will they have to say about his earlier years and even their earlier years growing up in the household?
Like other posters, I don't feel that this is really getting more common, but is being reported more. These things have happened for hundreds of years, and sometimes it is just a child with deep mental/emotional problems, others there is abuse, and sometimes the only ones that ever know are the victims and/or perp.

 

[emmcee]

Petition filed: 12-year-old declared a delinquent in the killing of his parents

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17540441

 

[oceanblueeyes]

The boy's uncle said the tragedy was beyond understanding. "It's a mystery to me. I don't know if anyone can explain it at this point and maybe never will be able to explain it."

He told reporters in Denver that he had not noticed anything untoward about his nephew. "He's a typical kid, probably liked to play video games, that kind of thing. I can't imagine what would have happened, what went through his mind."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/04/colorado-boy-alleged-shot-parents

"Probably" liked to play video games. Indicates to me that the extended family is not close to them. It could also be a simple misspoken word. I can expect the uncle to be a bit distraught.

Police found the bodies of Charles Long, 50, and his wife Marilyn, 51, in their Burlington, Colo., home Tuesday night after receiving a 911 call from the 12-year-old boy, ABC affiliate KMGH-TV reported.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/colorado-boy-12-held-parents-found-shot-dead/story?id=13040737

I know that he told 911 that three people were shot, but did he attempts lie, to make up a fake scenario or assailant? To me, that would make ahuge difference in how he should be handled.

The other thing that I want to hear, only when and if they are ready, is any statement from the older siblings. Will they come out in support of their brother or in support of their parents? What will they have to say about his earlier years and even their earlier years growing up in the household?
Like other posters, I don't feel that this is really getting more common, but is being reported more. These things have happened for hundreds of years, and sometimes it is just a child with deep mental/emotional problems, others there is abuse, and sometimes the only ones that ever know are the victims and/or perp.

BBM

I have seen family members in other cases who never understood why someone they loved murdered another loved one...... but they stood by the defendant. Maybe because of the family bond that existed before the unthinkable happened. I do think the family dynamics plays a part in that decision. Maybe wanting to cling and rationalize it away as if the defendant truly has to be mentally ill.... even when they are not deemed so by the medical experts. Denial and excuses are coping mechanisms, imo.

So whether they support him or not wouldn't surprise me either way and it has nothing to do with proving if he did these acts anyway.

Since they have charged him with First Degree the DA most certainly believes these were premeditated acts.

Murders never really make much sense to me. Here you have 7 children from one set of parents.......yet one becomes a murderer.

I am not sure I feel the numbers are staying the same. I just read a link provided on another thread a couple of months ago... where a young kid murdered his parent, and it seems young children this age bracket in the past two decades or more totaled up to be 10 kids.

I read a news site about one child murderer only to see 4 more cases listed at the bottom of the page of children between 10-13 years old that had recently murdered their parent or parents.

It is very hard to keep true statistics on juveniles who murder their parents or anyone else for that matter. If the case goes through the juvenile system then the outcome and all records are sealed.

Of course it is still rare compared to the many youths we have in our population that never murder anyone but I do think it is increasing and it really isn't uncommon anymore to read about a very young kid (9-10-11-12-13) murdering his/her parent or parents.

Now trying to murder everyone in the home at this age I would think doesn't happen very often at all.

However, I do think the motives for their murders are changing. So many of them kill for the most nonsensical reasons imaginable. That is the most alarming part for me to digest.

IMO

 

[southcitymom]

That would be an outrage, IMO. There is never an excuse to charge a 12-year-old as an adult.

I agree completely.

 

[crystalgenie]

If the child in question is found to be a sociopath or a psychopath I don't want him getting out of prison at 18 or 21.

He murdered his parents and tried to murder his siblings. Firing a gun can be in anger but stabbing after shooting or shooting after stabbing is just rage.

I don't care why he did it. I may be cold but I don't. He has no impulse control if this was impulsive or he plotted which makes it pre-meditated.

The only thing I want to know is did he start out torturing animals first because I think serial killers are starting younger.

In the past 30 years we have developed the forensics to prove when kids kill their parents I wonder how many prior to the development of forensics were never caught.

Serial killers start somewhere and at some age.

JMO.

 

[cluciano63]

I think in a case with a 12-yr old who has a history of fire starting and/or animal abuse, etc...classic signs of MAJOR anti-social issues, it would be dangerous not to try the child as an adult. Would you want such a child released at 18 or 21? Not me.

Each case has to be looked at separately, in my opinion.

 

[cluciano63]

Crystal, I just posted the same time as you did, and almost the same thing

 

[emmcee]

The Denver Post this morning has an article about the legal challenges of trying children as adults.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17544268

This kid is one very dangerous little dude. Shooting AND stabbing? I would not want him anywhere around my loved ones if he gets out in a few years.

 

[joe jones]

if it was about abuse then why try to kill his siblings, why not just kill the abuser (if there was one)

I have no problem with understanding that people kill (adults and children) because they want to, because they were told off, or asked to do chores, or not bought the thing they demanded, or because of jealousy or any other number of what I would consider petty reasons

it happens every day, and many look for reasons why, and abuse always rears its head, he killed his parents and he tried to kill his siblings and there is no excuse for what he did,

there have been and will continue to be domestic murders on a daily basis, and there is often nothing that could have been done because there were no warning signs,

I wonder if it was his siblings who told LE who did it

 

[oceanblueeyes]

The Denver Post this morning has an article about the legal challenges of trying children as adults.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17544268

This kid is one very dangerous little dude. Shooting AND stabbing? I would not want him anywhere around my loved ones if he gets out in a few years.

Thank you for the link.

I have a real problem with defendants like this getting a plea deal and their charges reduced. Plain and simple, these were two premeditated murders and two premeditated attempted murders. To lessen it to something it wasn't is disingenuous at best.

I mentioned awhile back a comment I heard made by an attorney on HLN about another case where a 9 year old boy had murdered his father's pregnant fiancée.

The commentator asked the attorney if he thought this boy was a danger to society and he said this "if he can murder a pregnant woman and her baby at 9 years old ..you better believe he is a danger to society." (paraphrasing) Those words have really stuck with me.

Giving him 5 short years for 4 different extremely violence crimes is certainly not the answer.

I have always been of the opinion that young offenders already capable of doing the most violent crime possible at such a young age are far more dangerous than an adult who doesn't kill until they are older.

What society has to seriously consider is not that they are children when they murder, but that they will be full grown adults one day... with homicides already under their belts.

Imo, these type of children are so different than other children and to protect society they must be treated differently than even the typical juvenile non violent offender who has to be housed with them.

The justice system wasnt established to handle hard core rapists/murderers/armed robbers. It was to rehabiltate juveniles who had committed petty crimes.

If this boy was given just 5 years then that means each offense brought him no more than a little over a year each. That is reprehensible for the crimes he is charged with. Is that any semblance of justice for trying to murder 4 people? Imo, it is not. That is a disgrace and makes human life... senselessly taken...... meaningless.

The justice system should never be about what the family of the defendant wants. It should always be about seeking blind justice based upon the evidence the DA has to prove their case.

IMO

 

[peeples]

Kinds off topic kinda not....

When I was younger I spent some time in a detention facility..... I was in a pod with a girl named Ruth Ann. The first few days we had no idea what she'd done.... she wouldn't talk she was very quiet, nice and demure...... we all found out later she murdered someone in cold blood (we were mostly in there for small things like theft I was in for running away from the youth shelter). Anyway I spent 3 months next door to her.... she was an angel.. got in no trouble mean while the rest of us girls were a handful to say the least.....

Right now she is trying to get a new trial based upon being so young wne sentenced to life in prison.

They say Ruth ann was motivated by robbery.... I'm not so sure... I mean she was a dream child in lock up.. not a single time did she even show a raised voice.... If she were cold/angry enough to murder someone in cold blood don't you think that she'd despise being told what to do and would balk against it.. Juvenile lock up is worse than prison. At least in prison you get a radio TV pen and paper etc... you get NONE of that in juvie.


http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_8b3a6ee5-f85a-5492-a85a-d4444f741575.html?mode=story

I don't know.. just some random thoughts about a different case.. but kinda simaliar.

 

[CHICANA]

Kinds off topic kinda not....

When I was younger I spent some time in a detention facility..... I was in a pod with a girl named Ruth Ann. The first few days we had no idea what she'd done.... she wouldn't talk she was very quiet, nice and demure...... we all found out later she murdered someone in cold blood (we were mostly in there for small things like theft I was in for running away from the youth shelter). Anyway I spent 3 months next door to her.... she was an angel.. got in no trouble mean while the rest of us girls were a handful to say the least.....

Right now she is trying to get a new trial based upon being so young wne sentenced to life in prison.

They say Ruth ann was motivated by robbery.... I'm not so sure... I mean she was a dream child in lock up.. not a single time did she even show a raised voice.... If she were cold/angry enough to murder someone in cold blood don't you think that she'd despise being told what to do and would balk against it.. Juvenile lock up is worse than prison. At least in prison you get a radio TV pen and paper etc... you get NONE of that in juvie.


http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_8b3a6ee5-f85a-5492-a85a-d4444f741575.html?mode=story

I don't know.. just some random thoughts about a different case.. but kinda simaliar.

Scary that she could be so nice and calm while capable of murder.

 

[katydid23]

Kinds off topic kinda not....

When I was younger I spent some time in a detention facility..... I was in a pod with a girl named Ruth Ann. The first few days we had no idea what she'd done.... she wouldn't talk she was very quiet, nice and demure...... we all found out later she murdered someone in cold blood (we were mostly in there for small things like theft I was in for running away from the youth shelter). Anyway I spent 3 months next door to her.... she was an angel.. got in no trouble mean while the rest of us girls were a handful to say the least.....

Right now she is trying to get a new trial based upon being so young wne sentenced to life in prison.

They say Ruth ann was motivated by robbery.... I'm not so sure... I mean she was a dream child in lock up.. not a single time did she even show a raised voice.... If she were cold/angry enough to murder someone in cold blood don't you think that she'd despise being told what to do and would balk against it.. Juvenile lock up is worse than prison. At least in prison you get a radio TV pen and paper etc... you get NONE of that in juvie.


http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/article_8b3a6ee5-f85a-5492-a85a-d4444f741575.html?mode=story

I don't know.. just some random thoughts about a different case.. but kinda simaliar.

If he had just snapped and shot his parents, I would agree with you. I could see him getting help and possibly rehabilitating himself.

However, stabbing the younger kids, one of them in the groin? That to me is quite problematic. I think he might be beyond any realistic intervention at this point. If he could stab and shoot his very young siblings....he is capable of any evil act, imo.

 

[chemcopout]

Is it escalating? I honestly don't know, but it's my understanding that murder rates in general have gone down since the 1970s.

It's true there have been guns since Europeans arrived on the continent, but patricide and matricide go way back, too. See Sophocles and Aeschylus.

i think it's that there is more people nowadays, and a lot more news media. coupled with a newer generations that are desensitized and lack of good parenting in some cases, this can be the outcome.

now i'll go back to reading and lurking

 

[chemcopout]

while the boy is in juvie, they need to determine whether he has conduct disorder or not. is he a full blown sociopath will he become one?
imo, being that the kids were home schooled and seem to have only participated in church activities, maybe he really was lonely and isolated. he even talked to the neighbor and wanted to help him. he probably just wanted friends.

it would be great to hear from some of the other 7 siblings that came out of that household.

what exact religion were they? it's mentioned the father led a 7th day adventist prayer group. now my aunt was that, and they are VERY strict. i doubt this kid was exposed to video games or most any tv. probably only mild and religious programs.

in the below article it states about the father leading a 7th day adventist prayer group and living WITHOUT a TV

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17525725

imo, he was isolated in that family and household and he likely saw murder as the only way out. he would know it was wrong having been taught that in church. i really don't think the boy had any outlets for his emotions.

the shooting and stabbing sounds like he was "experimenting" with murder!

he maybe wanted a change of life and wanted to get locked up as it was his only way out of that scenario to him. we don't hear anything about him not saying he didn't do it or trying to pin it on someone else. he is very precise that 3 have been shot. the 4th haven been stabbed.

what is interesting is that out of 7 children, one snaps. granted 2 weren't old enough yet, however i really hope we hear from the older children what it was like in their household growing up.

i agree with those who said the uncle isn't familiar with the family. "he probably like to play video games".
the other article stating about the father being an elder 7th day adventist who:

"He noted the joys of living without television (though he also liked the film "Iron Man 2" and NASCAR auto racing)"

Read more: 12-year-old boy held in deaths of parents, injuries to siblings at Burlington home - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17525725#ixzz1FpIcGVYw
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

everyone seems to describe the boy as a sweet, good, nice kid who was friendly. maybe he was trying to reach out? or maybe he was a wolf in sheeps clothing.

one of the older children is a soldier and another article mentions the father driving to ft brag nc to pick up his car to bring it back when he was deployed for iraq. since there is 7 children, we really need to hear from the others.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/27047659/detail.html

"In July 2009, he told of traveling to North Carolina to see a son in the Army before he was deployed to Iraq. "I will be driving his vehicle back for safe keeping while he's overseas," the father wrote."

 

[chemcopout]

BBM

I have seen family members in other cases who never understood why someone they loved murdered another loved one...... but they stood by the defendant. Maybe because of the family bond that existed before the unthinkable happened. I do think the family dynamics plays a part in that decision. Maybe wanting to cling and rationalize it away as if the defendant truly has to be mentally ill.... even when they are not deemed so by the medical experts. Denial and excuses are coping mechanisms, imo.

So whether they support him or not wouldn't surprise me either way and it has nothing to do with proving if he did these acts anyway.

Since they have charged him with First Degree the DA most certainly believes these were premeditated acts.

Murders never really make much sense to me. Here you have 7 children from one set of parents.......yet one becomes a murderer.

I am not sure I feel the numbers are staying the same. I just read a link provided on another thread a couple of months ago... where a young kid murdered his parent, and it seems young children this age bracket in the past two decades or more totaled up to be 10 kids.

I read a news site about one child murderer only to see 4 more cases listed at the bottom of the page of children between 10-13 years old that had recently murdered their parent or parents.

It is very hard to keep true statistics on juveniles who murder their parents or anyone else for that matter. If the case goes through the juvenile system then the outcome and all records are sealed.

Of course it is still rare compared to the many youths we have in our population that never murder anyone but I do think it is increasing and it really isn't uncommon anymore to read about a very young kid (9-10-11-12-13) murdering his/her parent or parents.

Now trying to murder everyone in the home at this age I would think doesn't happen very often at all.

However, I do think the motives for their murders are changing. So many of them kill for the most nonsensical reasons imaginable. That is the most alarming part for me to digest.

IMO

oceanblueyes, maybe you are right, in that there is more cases of younger children murdering their parents. if we had exact statistics on it, that would be even better to see.
i'm not sure if it's due to a bigger population; or more children being born with conduct disorder.

another question would be why are the numbers growing? is it due to nature, nuture, environmental causes?

 

[peeples]

If he had just snapped and shot his parents, I would agree with you. I could see him getting help and possibly rehabilitating himself.

However, stabbing the younger kids, one of them in the groin? That to me is quite problematic. I think he might be beyond any realistic intervention at this point. If he could stab and shoot his very young siblings....he is capable of any evil act, imo.

I agree with you... just weird the differences...... personality disorder? Psychotic? or just flat out cold blooded?? so hard to know......

 

[GEORGIAGIRL69]

I don't know about anyone else, but this kid scares the crap outta me. When I read that the neighbor said the kids were out in the yard laughing and playing earlier that day, it gave me chillbumps.

It seems premeditated and very violent. If he was abused by a parent, why try to kill all of them? I don't think there's a question that he meant to kill all, but by the Grace of God, he was not successful.

I dunno, sometimes there are simply bad seeds. MOO of course.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I have known quite a few Seventh Day Adventist during my life.

I didn't find them strict as being hard on their children.

I found most of them very passive, humble, soft spoken, and easy going people.

Now most of them did have a very tight bond with all of their family members.

I always admired how they included each other so much in all things. They do seem to believe very much in strong family ties.

imo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

while the boy is in juvie, they need to determine whether he has conduct disorder or not. is he a full blown sociopath will he become one?
imo, being that the kids were home schooled and seem to have only participated in church activities, maybe he really was lonely and isolated. he even talked to the neighbor and wanted to help him. he probably just wanted friends.

it would be great to hear from some of the other 7 siblings that came out of that household.

what exact religion were they? it's mentioned the father led a 7th day adventist prayer group. now my aunt was that, and they are VERY strict. i doubt this kid was exposed to video games or most any tv. probably only mild and religious programs.

in the below article it states about the father leading a 7th day adventist prayer group and living WITHOUT a TV

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17525725

imo, he was isolated in that family and household and he likely saw murder as the only way out. he would know it was wrong having been taught that in church. i really don't think the boy had any outlets for his emotions.

the shooting and stabbing sounds like he was "experimenting" with murder!

he maybe wanted a change of life and wanted to get locked up as it was his only way out of that scenario to him. we don't hear anything about him not saying he didn't do it or trying to pin it on someone else. he is very precise that 3 have been shot. the 4th haven been stabbed.

what is interesting is that out of 7 children, one snaps. granted 2 weren't old enough yet, however i really hope we hear from the older children what it was like in their household growing up.

i agree with those who said the uncle isn't familiar with the family. "he probably like to play video games".
the other article stating about the father being an elder 7th day adventist who:

"He noted the joys of living without television (though he also liked the film "Iron Man 2" and NASCAR auto racing)"

Read more: 12-year-old boy held in deaths of parents, injuries to siblings at Burlington home - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17525725#ixzz1FpIcGVYw
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

everyone seems to describe the boy as a sweet, good, nice kid who was friendly. maybe he was trying to reach out? or maybe he was a wolf in sheeps clothing.

one of the older children is a soldier and another article mentions the father driving to ft brag nc to pick up his car to bring it back when he was deployed for iraq. since there is 7 children, we really need to hear from the others.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/27047659/detail.html

"In July 2009, he told of traveling to North Carolina to see a son in the Army before he was deployed to Iraq. "I will be driving his vehicle back for safe keeping while he's overseas," the father wrote."

I just don't see this father being different than any other caring father. He seemed to love his children very much. He was very health conscious and I have no doubt that his wife provided healthy food for their family to eat.

He did have to work 50-55 hours a week to provide for them but alas a lot of parents have to do that in these economic times.

Sometimes I think a lot of kids would benefit by not having a tv in their home. Maybe they would read more instead of being saturated with such negative things that most of them shouldn't see to begin with, imo.

From one of your links...

Until mid-2009, he wrote regularly on a health and fitness blog he created, and maintained a Facebook page where he extolled the Bible, gospel music — and rocker Ted Nugent. He noted the joys of living without television (though he also liked the film "Iron Man 2" and NASCAR auto racing). He was a unicycle rider and a guitarist.

Sounds like a lot of dads who likes different things. So maybe he took them to the races or he took them to the movies on occasion.

Excerpt from another link in your post.

Throughout the town, the reaction was the same: stunned sadness.

A little more than a week ago, Charles and Marilyn Long came into the Panaderia Mexican #2 restaurant for what was a regular weekly date night.

Only this time, they were celebrating his 50th birthday, and he ordered fried ice cream as his treat.

"They were a very quiet family," said Samantha Rios, 24, who frequently served the Longs' table. "It's rocked this place."

Read more: 12-year-old boy held in deaths of parents, injuries to siblings at Burlington home - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17525725#ixzz1FruNcl9N