IL - Child, 9, charged in fire deaths of 5 people, Goodfield, 6 Apr 2019 #2

[Lusitana]

I'm quite surprised we aren't hearing more from OR about his mother.

Yes, for someone who was so vocal she sure is very quiet these days.

 

[Niner]

@TootsieFootsie - any updates yet? Last hearing was in April. TIA!

 

[GoBuckeyes]

Thanks for that link.

It's so hard to find updates when minors are involved. But, from that story, it seems as though, even if he is convicted of those murders at some point, he will only be on probation. And I bet any time he's spent in juvenile facilities will be counted as "time served."

What is he now? 14?

JMOO Whether he serves time now or later, it's coming.

Also, just moo, the mother's comments about her reaction and thoughts in the moment seem bizarre to me. Her babies were burning alive, and she thought they'd find some comfort in hearing her voice?! No, they would find comfort in being rescued. SMH

 

[TootsieFootsie]

@TootsieFootsie - any updates yet? Last hearing was in April. TIA

Sorry @Niner.
I've had to basically stop following any cases involving children

Thank you to all that keep these cases in the public eye!

I do have a look in from time to time.

 

[Niner]

Sorry @Niner.
I've had to basically stop following any cases involving children

Thank you to all that keep these cases in the public eye!

I do have a look in from time to time.

Than I will have to ask @imstilla.grandma ! Any updates? TIA!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The most recent Illinois case involving a young offender occurred in 2019 in downstate Goodfield. A 9-year-old boy allegedly started a fire that killed his two half-siblings, cousin, great-grandmother and mother’s boyfriend. Because Illinois has no minimum age for criminal responsibility, he was charged with murder and arson. But, since children can’t be put in detention facilities until they’re 10, he was placed in foster care.

“The boy made his first appearance in court on Monday. His feet didn’t touch the ground and his head barely reached above the top of the seat,” reported the Tribune following the 9-year-old’s first court appearance in October 2019. The judge had to repeat the charges and pause on terms he didn’t understand, including “alleged” and “arson.”

Shortly after, Griffin was appointed to evaluate his mental fitness to stand trial. The clinical psychologist ultimately found the boy, who was 10 by that time, unfit to stand trial.

Griffin, however, said Illinois’ fitness test is inadequate for assessing children. It is the same test used for adults and has a strong focus on mental illness and intellectual disabilities. Griffin is part of a coalition advocating for a separate fitness standard for minors that considers developmental maturity and traumatic stress.

The bill the coalition has proposed would also limit how many times a child can be evaluated for mental fitness based on the severity of their crime. Currently, any child can be reevaluated every year until they are 21. The boy accused of the 2019 killings and fire was last evaluated in March 2023. He was 13 and living with his grandparents. The case is still ongoing, according to his lawyer, Peter Dluski

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*I just realized I forgot to add the link for the above post. Sorry.

Joliet boy allegedly killed by brother raising questions about child culpability laws

The 6-year-old boy could be charged with murder because Illinois is in the slim minority of states without a minimum age for criminal responsibility.

www.chicagotribune.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*This paper explains that in Illinois children of any age can be arrested, charged, and adjudicated delinquent ,and calls for Illinois to set a minimum age of criminal responsibility at age 14 so that children ages 13 and under cannot be arrested or charged in either juvenile or adult criminal systems. It recommends the State support healthy childhood development by providing children with supportive services in lieu of traditional juvenile justice responses and focus on restorative and rehabilitative efforts that not only decrease the rates of recidivism but also allow for a more purposeful and reasoned responses to children in need. Following an introduction, Section 1 describes research on brain development which shows that children are limited in their ability to reason, control impulses, and understand the consequences of their actions. Section 2 reviews what happened to a child when he or she comes into conflict with the law, including data on rates of arrest and detention of Illinois children and adolescents, and provides an overview of the evolution of Illinois laws related to children and adolescents in conflict with the law.

https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/centers/childlaw/pdfs/incapable_of_criminal_intent.pdf

 

[Niner]

@imstilla.grandma - just going thru some old cases - and wondering what is happening to this one? Still unfit to stand trial? TIA if you can find anything - I sure can't.

 

[Niner]

Bumping up - for @imstilla.grandma - whenever you can - anything going on with this case? TIA!

and a very to you!

 

[Niner]

@imstilla.grandma - any updates yet for this case? TIA!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

@imstilla.grandma - any updates yet for this case? TIA!

In another case about 22 miles away in 2019, three toddlers and two adults died in a midnight mobile home fire whose origin remains in dispute. A 9-year-old boy, whose care had been the subject of DCFS investigations since the day of his birth, was charged with murder in their deaths. The boy and his mother, who survived the fire, were related to the five victims. That criminal trial is ongoing and raised questions of whether DCFS did enough to help the 9-year-old in the years before the fire. He’d been accused of starting other fires, and his parents had been investigated for physically abusing him, neglecting him and failing to take him to school.

Child welfare agency failed repeatedly to produce 'critical' reports after child deaths, injuries

The reports are required by the state, providing the framework for the system of investigating abuse and neglect of children.

www.pjstar.com