I wonder where things are with sentencing on this. This case has bothered me so badly because this boy was in complete shock to the point where he was taken to hospital. How can you get a legitimate confession out of someone in that state, at the hospital, especially someone his age - all alone with authority figures after your world has just fallen apart. People described that the mother and brother were his whole world. Kids will confess or agree to how someone else says something happened (even if they know it not to be true), when they feel that they have no other choice and no one believing them - it's very easy to do. He may have been convinced he did it, rather than actually confessing he did it. A confession is less easy to do with an actual psychopath who can lie with a straight face and often feel smarter than the investigators. .
https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/09/12/why-people-confess-even-if-they-didnt-do-it/59450.html
Facts, as I recall them, from this case were chilling 1) boy called 911 totally freaked out in the morning just before 7 a.m. (usual time a kid his age would be getting up and ready for school) 2) he reported that he woke up with gun in his bed - said his dad must've put there but didn't know why 3) he said he ran and found his mom and brother dead 4) he was freaking out and said he needed help 5) the phone disconnected and he called back asking why did you hang up on me? 5) he at one point asked out loud "wait, why didn't he kill me?" (the media tended to skew this towards him making the story up, but I believe this would be normal thought process after what he woke up too - his brain was still catching up and he was likely frightened he was next. 911 dispatched an ambulance first to arrive at scene. The boy was outside - freezing cold weather - in just his boxers and had some blood on him. (he definitely just jumped out of bed that morning) As the boy was trying to explain things, the crew asked if a gun was inside. They said they couldn't enter if gun still in home. The boy ran inside to get the gun (being very cooperative and trying to be helpful) so they would come in. As he ran inside, they left. The boy came out with the gun trying to find the ambulance, which was sitting down the street and walked to them with gun in hand (showing them " the gun is out of the house")). A Neighbor got kid to put gun down very easily (no hassel). He kept crying for his mom. Police arrived on scene and took boy to hospital because he was not well and in state of shock. A bit later they gave news conference and said the boy confessed. I just think it is very easy to get kids to admit to things they didn't do, especially someone described as meek and well mannered like Jacob
My personal opinion is: Too much emotion. Too much panic. Too much "normal reactions" to be a psycho. The other tidbit they added along with the confession was that he said he "would've killed his dad" too. A statement like that could've been made during the interrogation, but one should really wonder how it was used - -was he trying to say it as a matter of retaliation for what he claimed the dad did?
What if this boy was telling the truth? Can you imagine the trauma and disorientation waking up to that? The confession made little sense - what kid can wake up on their own, let alone jump out of bed with intent to kill. He would've had to do it in hurry too, unless he set his clock very early that morning. But why not run away or try to get away. Why kill them before you even get dressed and then call 911 pleading for help, scared out of your mind to the point you run outside in your underwear? And furthermore, the doting mother that she was described as, would not be in bed sleeping when he woke up. She also had a job at a school. I imagine someone like her to be up getting breakfast and lunch together for both boys - - if not being the one to get Jacob up to begin with. I wonder if they checked the home phone records to be sure that a phone call didn't come into the house to wake Jacob up that morning (if mom were already shot as the boy described, the shooter would likely know Jacob would need to first wake up to set everything into motion)?
Facebook photos and posts give a glimpse of what kind of relationship she had with them and her inlaws described her as very on the ball, disciplined and devoted. Vacation photos were of just her and the boys (husband didn't go). The paternal grandparents said Jacob was
very meek, mild and loving - and was religious. I heard very little about the other half (the dad) except this: Theres no words to describe what I was thinking when Davey told me.
He was calm. He didnt say much. What he did say was that Jacob shot his brother and his mother and they were both dead. Thats what he said, Mr. Remaley (the grandfather) recounted in a telephone interview Thursday. (see:
http://www.post-gazette.com/local/e...-mother-s-son-s-shooting/stories/201612010202)
I just pray that the police got it right and weren't fooled by someone/something just too sinister for them to even consider. I agree it would take a very sociopathic person - one with very little emotion to plan and execute something like Jacob described. The motive is the big question likely never answered.
