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

[gitana1]

This whole mess reminds me of the Philpotts. UK case, check it out. Money seems to be a big motive here.
Was JW meant to be the only victim? Was someone meant to ‘save’ the children and be the hero? Home burned down = donations from the general public. And with 5 family members dead that = even more donations. JMO MOO

Interesting comparison. I think it’s very possible that the child lit the fire not realizing how out of control it would get so fast.

Illinois defines first degree murder as killing someone and:

• Intended to kill or do great bodily harm (or knew that the act would do so); or
• Knew that the act created a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm; or
• Was attempting or committed a forcible felony other than second degree murder (i.e. rape).

The first and second ones are more like second degree murder.

So it’s possible he wanted to hurt someone but didn’t think it would kill everyone or that he knew doing what he was doing was likely to cause great bodily harm. And that’s enough for murder. Less than sort of the malicious intent to kill usually required of a first degree murder charge in most states.

I don’t think he was a patsy for his mother. At that age kids talk. I think he was questioned and finally admitted lighting the fire and maybe why. Like he was mad about something or wanted attention and knew it was dangerous but didn’t think it would get that far. But because of the five deaths they felt homicide charges were important to address the seriousness of the loss of life.

If the DA had done nothing people might be outraged.

I don’t think it would be worth it for the mother to do this. She made more with them all alive. If there was evidence of a life insurance policy they would have found that long ago.

 

[katydid23]

Well, per the latest article, everybody else was asleep except the mom.

Not according to Mom's version.

 

[Kiranerys]

Yes, that the correct protocol...
Family placement. Hmmm. That's a bit scary, IMO. (sitting on my hands now)

I think I read that he is with his fathers family

 

[jjenny]

Did she have life insurance on any of the people that died?...

Life insurance? You think she would have paid for life insurance?

 

[jjenny]

I think I read that he is with his fathers family

Paternal grandparents.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Samantha Alwood said she just wants people to know how important her family was to her life. She said her brother-in-law, Jason Wall, was like a father to Rose.

“It hurts because I’m never gonna see her first day of school, see her lose her first tooth, I don’t get to see her go to high school, and get to walk her down the aisle,” she said, “I’ve thought about that even though it’s years away […] I thought she was gonna be with me forever.”
Mother of toddler who died in Goodfield fire to share her family’s story
Video@link

 

[imstilla.grandma]

An online obituary has been set up for her daughter Rose, who "loved to sit on her grandpa's lap and watch football, and loved fixing things with her special papa Mike".
Boy, 9, charged with killing five members of family


"She got me out of bed. She made my days better. And it hurts her not being here," Samantha said.

"I think he should go somewhere until he's legal age to go to juvie. Then I think he should go to juvie. And then from juvie to prison. Because at the end of the day, whether he meant to or not, he knew what fire did," Samantha said.
Mother of 9-year-old charged with setting house fire that killed 5: He's not a "monster"


Alwood’s grandmother, Kathryn Murray, was a homemaker and an artist who enjoyed drawing and sewing. Her other hobbies included cooking, camping and fishing.‘ She was known as the best Grandma,’ the woman’s obituary reads.

Daemeon Wall, aged two, was a fan of the Mickey Mouse Club House, with Goofy being his favorite character, and enjoyed watching the animated film Happy Feet. The toddler was said to have been ‘very protective’ of his baby sister, Ari

The one-year-old girl, Jason and Katrina's youngest child, loved to growl and make the ‘Chewbacca’ sound with her dad, according to her obituary.

Two-year-old Rose Alwood, Katrina Alwood’s niece, loved the Disney film Coco.

‘Her favorite words that she always said were "katchup" and "mine,"’ according to the toddler’s memorial page. ‘She loved doing arts and craft projects with grandma and was especially known for photo-bombing her mother.’
Boy, 9, charged with first-degree murder in deadly fire is named | Daily Mail Online

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Paternal grandparents.

Kyle has not been detained, but because of the death threats the nine-year-old boy has been receiving, he has been sent to stay with relatives in an undisclosed location.
Boy, 9, charged with first-degree murder in deadly fire is named | Daily Mail Online

 

[jjenny]

He was not send to stay away with relatives because of death threats as far as I can tell. DCF took custody of him and placed him in foster care, the foster parents presumably being his paternal grandparents.
"DCFS took custody of the boy shortly after the fire, and he was placed into a foster home, according to an agency spokesman."
9-year-old central Illinois boy charged with murder in fatal fire that killed 5 ‘made a terrible mistake,’ but he’s ‘not a monster,’ mom says

 

[cherrymeg]

Life insurance? You think she would have paid for life insurance?

Fair point. Maybe? Even small amounts of life insurance could seem like good deal. Her grandmother could have had a policy. MOO

 

[mickey2942]

Paternal grandparents.

Great. The kid is following the path of Edmund Kemper.
Edmund Kemper - Wikipedia

 

[cherrymeg]

Great. The kid is following the path of Edmund Kemper.
Edmund Kemper - Wikipedia

If he set the fire that's way different than Kemper. Fire isn't predictable it can get out of hand. The mom's story is questionable.

 

[Nilesil]

Welcome to Websleuths,
Nilesil !!​

Thank you. I've been following closely, but difficult to reply on this old phone. Will write whenever I can.

 

[enelram]

Great. The kid is following the path of Edmund Kemper.
Edmund Kemper - Wikipedia

possibly, what is clear in the article is that this
all started because Kemper was "rejected" by
both his parents but especially his mother and
his grandparents, all who he eventually murdered.
A child facing rejection will go on to do horrible
things to others. It's the basis for many, many
crimes here on WS.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Lauren Melendez

 

[gitana1]

He was not send to stay away with relatives because of death threats as far as I can tell. DCF took custody of him and placed him in foster care, the foster parents presumably being his paternal grandparents.
"DCFS took custody of the boy shortly after the fire, and he was placed into a foster home, according to an agency spokesman."
9-year-old central Illinois boy charged with murder in fatal fire that killed 5 ‘made a terrible mistake,’ but he’s ‘not a monster,’ mom says

Yes. But that’s the lie the mother told the news- that he was sent away due to death threats.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The younger two children needed extra attention: Daemeon had autism, and Ariel was deaf in one ear. And Wall considered Kyle to be his son, as well.
Mom recalls Goodfield blaze that killed five loved ones

 

[imstilla.grandma]

25 News

<modsnip>

 

[borndem]

Did she have life insurance on any of the people that died? She seemed out of it in videos. Kyle said "beer sleep" it looked like nodding out to me. Parents have killed for attention alone. An 8 year old with diagnosed mental issues makes a good patsy. MOO.

bbm
This is not nice to say, but I don't see someone of her mentality even knowing what life insurance is, if you're talking about Mom. If they couldn't afford keeping a vehicle "legal," I don't see paying for life insurance or anything similar. They had to be on a very tight budget in that family, so no. SMH.

 

[borndem]

There are things devoted to other people playing video games. His mom should have checked this stuff.

Again, this is not nice to say, but I don't see her checking much of anything. Maybe I am selling her short, but I think with all that was going on in that house -- the kids, her boyfriend, etc. -- she was doing well to get them all fed and clothed. Such a sad, sad situation all the way around. For every one of the residents of that mobile home.