PA - Helen Novak, 90, slain, 10yo charged, Wayne County, 11 Oct 2014

[Oblio]

Also, most 10 year olds that lash out violently have little grasp of how dangerous they are. I'm sure most of his targets are peers, and 10 year old kids are far more resilient than a 90 year old. I'm sure he intended to hurt her, no doubt there, but he probably had no idea that she was so fragile that his attack could leave her dead.

 

[threecrazykids]

Also, most 10 year olds that lash out violently have little grasp of how dangerous they are. I'm sure most of his targets are peers, and 10 year old kids are far more resilient than a 90 year old. I'm sure he intended to hurt her, no doubt there, but he probably had no idea that she was so fragile that his attack could leave her dead.

Not necessarily referring to only your post - just jumping off here.

I am not sure what to believe with kids anymore. There is so much violence in this world I find it almost impossible for a 10 year old to NOT know what COULD kill someone. I mean, if he wanted to "hurt her" a kick to the shin is sufficient. Holding a 90 year old FRAGILE woman down by the throat with her cane, punching her in the stomach until blood comes out her mouth seems to me a little more than just wanting to just hurt her.
It certainly didn't seem to cause any sort of panic or remorse from what I'm reading...unless the story just isn't telling the whole story of how he'd suddenly realized what he'd done and screamed or ran to get someone to help.

JMO of course...I'm hoping more details come out because right now I'm finding about ZERO sympathy for this kid. We have to open our eyes to the reality of how dangerous kids can be, when they have, on more than one occasion, proven they can be. Did he set out that day to kill her? No...probably not. Doesn't mean he's not a danger now, and forever.

 

[Oblio]

Not necessarily referring to only your post - just jumping off here.

I am not sure what to believe with kids anymore. There is so much violence in this world I find it almost impossible for a 10 year old to NOT know what COULD kill someone. I mean, if he wanted to "hurt her" a kick to the shin is sufficient. Holding a 90 year old FRAGILE woman down by the throat with her cane, punching her in the stomach until blood comes out her mouth seems to me a little more than just wanting to just hurt her.
It certainly didn't seem to cause any sort of panic or remorse from what I'm reading...unless the story just isn't telling the whole story of how he'd suddenly realized what he'd done and screamed or ran to get someone to help.

JMO of course...I'm hoping more details come out because right now I'm finding about ZERO sympathy for this kid. We have to open our eyes to the reality of how dangerous kids can be, when they have, on more than one occasion, proven they can be. Did he set out that day to kill her? No...probably not. Doesn't mean he's not a danger now, and forever.

It could be that he only reacted the way he does an any situation. My kids fight, and they fight hard when they do. If one attacked my grandmother the way he does his brother, she'd be in the hospital. And they are both under ten.

So I'm wondering if he had a specific intent to kill her, or if he was mad and attacked her in the same manner he attacks anybody else, but had a dramatically different outcome because of her age.

And yes, I find the whole case alarming. I'll always hope that children, no matter how troubled, will be given the opportunity to grow into productive members of society, but in cases like this the potential is certainly questionable. At the same time, it just seems so wrong to allow the actions of a ten year old determine the next 10+ years of his life. In most cases, ten year olds aren't even given a chance to choose which parent they want to live with.

 

[threecrazykids]

It could be that he only reacted the way he does an any situation. My kids fight, and they fight hard when they do. If one attacked my grandmother the way he does his brother, she'd be in the hospital. And they are both under ten.

So I'm wondering if he had a specific intent to kill her, or if he was mad and attacked her in the same manner he attacks anybody else, but had a dramatically different outcome because of her age.

And yes, I find the whole case alarming. I'll always hope that children, no matter how troubled, will be given the opportunity to grow into productive members of society, but in cases like this the potential is certainly questionable. At the same time, it just seems so wrong to allow the actions of a ten year old determine the next 10+ years of his life. In most cases, ten year olds aren't even given a chance to choose which parent they want to live with.

The bolded above is, I guess, what makes it disturbing for me. NO 10 year old should react like that and have it be considered "normal". A two year old? Sure. They hit/bite/scream out of sheer frustration due to their lack of ability to communicate. But 10? I just can't look at a 10 year old violently going after another human as "normal". SOMETHING is wrong if physical violence is their first action upon anger/frustration.
If it was a girl would we be so quick to think it was normal?

ETA: I'm not saying that fighting doesn't happen between siblings...but most of the time there's been bickering/yelling/picking at each other before it becomes physical...at least with my kids anyway. And I don't think my kids are "normal"...LOL j/k

 

[iamnotagolem]

This is disturbing, yet I fear there is more to come that will be even more troubling.

 

[nothingnew]

This is disturbing, yet I fear there is more to come that will be even more troubling.

Did you read the comments in the link JeanaT provided? Interesting.
http://wnep.com/2014/10/14/boy-remains-in-custody-charged-with-homicide/

 

[joe jones]

This is so sad, at 10 most children are not thinking of the consequences when they act, I hope he gets all the help he needs,

 

[threecrazykids]

Did you read the comments in the link JeanaT provided? Interesting.
http://wnep.com/2014/10/14/boy-remains-in-custody-charged-with-homicide/

Unfortunately (or fortunately...however you look at it) this kid is EXACTLY where he belongs.

 

[branwynbreeze]

At CNN link his attorney said something that sounded odd to me at 30 sec mark. Paraphrasing attorney-I think he thinks he's going for an overnight the way he would any other time.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/14/justice/pennsylvania-juvenile-homicide/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Does this imply TK has been in justice system before? I'm guess yes as it's the only way such a young child would be charged as an adult.

 

[popsicle]

Jim Hamill ‏@JimHamill 3m3 minutes ago
JUST IN: Search warrant for 10 y.o. Tristen Kurilla charged w/ homicide at Wayne Co. jail recovered coloring book w/ elaborate escape plan.

 

[popsicle]

Jim Hamill @JimHamill · 4h4 hours ago

BREAKING: Atty for 10 y/o homicide suspect withdraws petition for bail. Tristen Kurilla will REMAIN in jail for the time being.

 

[ellabella]

At CNN link his attorney said something that sounded odd to me at 30 sec mark. Paraphrasing attorney-I think he thinks he's going for an overnight the way he would any other time.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/14/justice/pennsylvania-juvenile-homicide/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Does this imply TK has been in justice system before? I'm guess yes as it's the only way such a young child would be charged as an adult.

My guess is that he's been in a juvenile facility that is used for offendors and respite care in the past, or at least in a foster/group home type setting for overnight respite care.

 

[NoPocono]

Escape plan for what? Apologies in advance for being late to this thread.

 

[NoPocono]

I did read the comments. Was there something in particular that piqued your interest? I'm going to build a post as to what I've discovered about Tristen and his family, but am reading the thread so far to see what people have discovered on their own.

 

[radiator]

Jim Hamill ‏@JimHamill 3m3 minutes ago
JUST IN: Search warrant for 10 y.o. Tristen Kurilla charged w/ homicide at Wayne Co. jail recovered coloring book w/ elaborate escape plan.

Is that for real?! A coloring book with an escape plan?! There is definitely more to this story.

 

[LietKynes]

This case really sets off my hinky meter. A couple of things. First, the boy claims that he got angry because the elderly woman yelled at him when he came into her room. Why on earth was the child going into the woman's room? He was there to visit his grandfather, the woman's caretaker. The boy says he wanted to ask her a question. I'm not buying it. Had he been to the house before and, if so, had he abused the woman previously and that's why she screamed when he came in the room? Second, the confinement without bail leads me to suspect that there is more to this case than the authorities are letting on. I dunno. I've just got a very bad feeling about this one.

SABBM

Chilling. A picture in my mind of what it would be to be helpless and elderly... and a kid coming into your room who has maybe hit, pinched,or done god knows what to you, before. She could have screamed in terror and others may have thought she was just being "feisty".
Sounds like this Tristen may have been harming animals in his neighborhood.
There HAD to be some warning signs in the past ; that were just overlooked or hushed up.
My opinion only.
I understand those who might think this killer (yes I said it) can be rehabilitated and set free after he is 16, or whenever ; but I wouldn't want him living next to our house or even in our neighborhood.
Maybe my thinking is wrong. I just do not have any sympathy right now for this Tristen ; and I'm sorry if that offends anyone.

Wherever he goes in life--- he might need to have an eye kept on him. There's a moral line that you don't cross, imo, and he has crossed it.

Well, o.k., maybe he was beaten or mistreated himself ? Just speculating. And this is the result ?
A close friend of mine from way back in high school had a dad who came from a horrible background. I won't go into detail as it would be painful to read about.... but my friend didn't know about her dad's abusive childhood until she was in her twenties. All of her memories of him were good ones. He chose a different path in life. We can all choose to not hurt or kill someone.
:moo:

 

[OkieGranny]

http://www.scnow.com/news/national/article_a826e6ea-5538-11e4-95c7-0017a43b2370.html

A 10-year-old boy charged with fatally beating a 90-year-old woman remained in adult prison Wednesday after his lawyer withdrew a request for bail, saying his family isn't ready to have him released into their custody...

The boy's family believes he is being treated well at the county prison, where he is being housed alone in a cell and being kept away from the general population, said his attorney, Bernard Brown. He said the boy was being provided recreational opportunities and coloring books...

Detectives who executed a search of the boy's cell Wednesday turned up a piece of notebook paper with the words "How to Escape" on it, a court document showed. But the prosecutor told The Wayne Independent in Honesdale that nothing else of significance was found on the paper.

 

[popsicle]

Jim Hamill ‏@JimHamill 4m4 minutes ago
JUST IN: @PaAttorneyGen taking over prosecution of 10 y/o Tristen Kurilla in Wayne Co. says @waynecountyda1 whose office had conflict. @WNEP

 

[popsicle]

Brown says it’s fair to say the boy is too much to handle for either of his parents until he gets mental health treatment.

“The family just doesn’t feel comfortable for numerous reasons, not only for supervision, work, of everything.”

A search warrant indicates evidence that Kurilla was plotting an escape, writing “how to escape” among other things, on notebook paper.

http://wnep.com/2014/10/15/boy-to-stay-in-jail-for-now/

 

[oh_gal]

This is so sad, at 10 most children are not thinking of the consequences when they act, I hope he gets all the help he needs,

You're right, of course. My kids (ages 7 and 9) don't, and that's why I try to explain to them, the effect their actions could have. Did no one ever talk to this boy? Apparently (if you believe the comments on the article JeannaT posted) he killed animals. Didn't his parents say anything to him? Take him for counseling? Anything?

Part of me feels bad for him, but I sure wouldn't want this child at my kids' school, or as my neighbor. That's just the truth of it.