GA - Millan Young, 5 wks, beaten to death, Marietta, 4 July 2009

[LadyL]

curiously, I thought I might find loads of pics of this baby on her ms

I can only find one that might be the baby but I don't actually think is b/c I'm pretty sure the baby in the pic looks older than 5 weeks

 

[Kymistry35]

I have four boys and there is no way my 13 year old boy is mature enough to watch an infant, I don't even let him watch my 7 or 8 year olds while I run into a store. He was watching my niece (9 months) in the living room while I went to my bedroom to gather the dirty clothes to be washed. I yelled to him to bring me a basket, which he did, AFTER setting the baby on the kitchen table (which is between the living room and my room) and telling her not to move he would be right back. And my child is an honor student, so there is no lacking in the mental capacity department.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

This is going to sound horribly sexist of me and I realize my feelings perhaps paint a broad brush but....

I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving an newborn/infant with a young male. Not only do most boys lack the maturity to deal with a newborn/infant, they also tend to be more aggressive and less nurturing than a young female.

This is not to say NO boy should ever be left with a small child. I'm sure there are exceptional children out there who are magnificent with babysitting children regardless of gender. I just feel most young females have more nurturing instincts towards children, especially brand new babies. Yes, there are horror stories out there of young females doing the unthinkable as well. But, historically babysitters are often and mostly female.

That being said I realize there are probably many of you here who have had their sons watch their siblings and such. I truly don't mean to imply anything other than what I would feel comfortable with. As a stay at home Mom with very young children I have no experience with this as of yet.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I think this boy got away with murder.

I think 12 year old boys should be capable of sitting in a car for 18 minutes without murdering an infant. To me, it's just that simple.

 

[Hopeful One]

I think this boy got away with murder.

I think 12 year old boys should be capable of sitting in a car for 18 minutes without murdering an infant. To me, it's just that simple.

I agree. While I probably wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a baby with a young boy for an extended period of time, ie babysitting, this situation is different. He didn't have to do much of anything if the baby was just strapped in a car seat. If the baby cries, stick a nuk in its mouth.

 

[not_my_kids]

I agree with the judge, and that is odd for me.

The point for me is that yes, the 12 year old messed up...after being deliberately placed in a situation that he was not mature enough to handle and that no rational person would have placed him in.

Babies cry, and 12 year olds have short tempers.
As for my opinion, the babies mother was as responsible, if not more so, than the child that committed the act.

 

[southcitymom]

This is going to sound horribly sexist of me and I realize my feelings perhaps paint a broad brush but....

I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving an newborn/infant with a young male. Not only do most boys lack the maturity to deal with a newborn/infant, they also tend to be more aggressive and less nurturing than a young female.

This is not to say NO boy should ever be left with a small child. I'm sure there are exceptional children out there who are magnificent with babysitting children regardless of gender. I just feel most young females have more nurturing instincts towards children, especially brand new babies. Yes, there are horror stories out there of young females doing the unthinkable as well. But, historically babysitters are often and mostly female.

That being said I realize there are probably many of you here who have had their sons watch their siblings and such. I truly don't mean to imply anything other than what I would feel comfortable with. As a stay at home Mom with very young children I have no experience with this as of yet.

Controversial or not, I think a lot of people here probably hold a similar belief - I know this subject has come up in other threads. For me, I would be more concerned about sexual experimentation with a boy watching a younger child - boys are just more driven by their hormones at that age - and, as a general rule, they seem to have less impulse control than girls (in the sex arena).

I don't mean this of every single boy of course!

My 9-year-old loves babies and is very very good with little ones. He has mentioned wanting to babysit when he is older and, while I haven't said this to him, I think most folks would rather have a teenaged girl babysitter than a boy of the same age.

Like other posters here, I don't think I would leave a 12-year-old in the car with a tiny baby - even for a short period of time. However, it would depend on the circumstances and I definitely don't hold it against this mother that she made that choice.

 

[Bobbisangel]

after reading the articles I'm not sure this kid is guilty. the judge said the testimony the kid gave can not be heard in court. the mom is heard on the tape just before the kid says he dropped the baby saying you can't go home till you tell the truth, and firefighters said the mom acted as if she was in a daze. In one article it said she had bruises all over her body. I don't know maybe i'm just hoping he didn't do it....

Also why would you leave a 5 week old with a 12 yr old in the car for 18 minutes while you shop? you can put a carseat on a buggy. I still don't let my 13 yr old sit in the car while I go in the store to shop. gas station yes, target or walmart no!

I wonder how big this boy is? It was said that the mother had bruises all over her body...could her son have pounded on her if they had a conflict? Why was he with the baby's mother during that time?

I'll get slammed for this but I don't see anything wrong with leaving the kids in the car while the mother ran into the store. If it was hot out then no they shouldn't have been left in the car but a 12 yr old is old enough to watch a baby for a little while. The mom probably thought the baby would just sleep while she was in the store but instead it cryed and probably got on the boy's nerves. A 12 yr old is old enough to know not to hit a baby or do whatever he did so I lay the whole blame on the 12 yr old. It sounds like he just wanted to shut the baby up and ended up killing it. I would imagine the mother regrets daily hour by hour leaving the baby with the boy. She probably lives with "if onlys...I should have...and her life is no doubt a nightmare. She is probably eaten with guilt. I know I would be...poor thing.

 

[RLynne]

Perhaps someone can answer me this. How strong is medical testimony concerning shaken or injured infants? I have always had some real misgivings regarding this type of testimony and in this case it sounds like the Judge did not buy it.

I think there have been questions raised about 'shaken baby' syndrome. There was a fairly recent case here where a murder case, largely founded on testimony regarding shaken baby syndrome, was overturned after 10+ years due to new science. Here is a link to an article that I think gives a pretty fair overview of that case, as well as the science and controversy surrounding shaken baby syndrome.

http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Madison-Magazine/July-2009/Oh-Baby/

 

[southcitymom]

I think there have been questions raised about 'shaken baby' syndrome. There was a fairly recent case here where a murder case, largely founded on testimony regarding shaken baby syndrome, was overturned after 10+ years due to new science. Here is a link to an article that I think gives a pretty fair overview of that case, as well as the science and controversy surrounding shaken baby syndrome.

http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Madison-Magazine/July-2009/Oh-Baby/

That's one of the most awful things I have ever read. I first recall SBS coming into my eyesite with the Woodward nanny case. I followed that fairly closely and I was not impressed at all with the "science."

In this case, it seems that some of the experts were also overreaching. I'm grateful that the Judge saw this.

 

[Native New Yorker]

http://www.ajc.com/news/cobb/12-year-old-gets-268391.html?cxtype=rss_news_82003

"A 12-year-old boy may not be getting his wish to go home, but he won’t have to spend the next two years incarcerated for killing his infant cousin."

"On Wednesday, Cobb County Juvenile Court Judge Gregory Poole sentenced the boy to two years of probation and anger management class."


"Prosecutors said the boy shook his cousin, Millan Young, and then slammed her head against a hard surface while left alone in the car with her.
Brittiany Young said she left the children alone in the car July 4 while she shopped in a Target store in Marietta. The mother said she returned to the car 18 minutes later to find her baby limp and unresponsive. The baby died a day later of blunt force trauma, according to an autopsy."

 

[southcitymom]

Thanks, NNY. I think the Judge made a wise decision. I hope the boy and his family can recover from all of this heartache.

 

[kbl8201]

this all sounds fishy to me.
personally it sounds like the mother did this to the baby and set her son up to be the scapegoat, knowing this would probably be the outcome......the judge wouldnt throw the book at him.