GUILTY PA - Jasiyah Vasquez, 12, fatally shot by brother, 13, Collegeville, Montgomery County, 19 Mar 2021 *mom charged*

[Richrd]

26 March (Lower) Court Date*
.

Defendant:
- Jah’sir Vasquez, M / 13 -

- Collegeville,
Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania -
- Friday, 19 March 2021 -

1)) NBC News:
13-Year-Old Boy Charged with Murder for Montgomery County Shooting Death of His 12-Year-Old Sister
"...Despite the child’s age,
Pennsylvania law requires that we charge Jah’sir Vasquez, 13,
in Adult Criminal Court for the shooting death of his Sister..."

2)) Google™ Supplements & Updates:
Jah’sir Vasquez - PA - Google Search

3)) Pennsylvania Court Docket:
*https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-38119-CR-0000090-2021&dnh=2BLl1tSBCw4XZIszvVUpGg==
via: Case Search

4)) Historically:
Cause of Death :: Gun-Shot Wound
Manner of Death :: Homicide

5)) PA "Juvenile Act"
Pennsylvania Statutes Title 42 Pa.C.S.A. Judiciary and Judicial Procedure § 6301 | FindLaw
​

& = And - [AMP' err sand]
§ = Section / Silcrow - [SILL' crow]
§§ = Sub-Section - [Double-Silcrow]
™ = Trademark
Autopsy = Body Examination to Determine Cause & Manner of Death
C.S.A. = Consolidated Statutes - Annotated
DA = District Attorney
F/12 = Female / Age 12
M/13 = Male / Age 13
F1 = Felony-Grade Crime of the 1st Degree
Fratricide = Killing of One's Sister
LE = Law Enforcement
LWOP = Life With-Out Parole
ME = Medical Examiner
MJ = (Lower) Magisterial District Judge Court
NBC = National Broadcasting Company
via = by-way-of
YOA = Years of Age

Our Support to All Domestic Violence
Survivors and Victims...​

[Contribution # 7924
Thread # 564318]
.

 

[Marg from Oz]

The mother told him to get the gun out of her car and bring it inside.
What was she thinking? Now she has lost two children in one go. One gone forever and and one to be locked up for a very long time. I wonder if she will be charged with something.? MOO

 

[borndem]

Thanks, @Rchrd, for the thread.

Another sad, sad, sad one. And unusual, IMO.
What in the world is this??
From the article in Rchrd's post above:

"Her brother, Jah’sir Vasquez, was arrested and held without bail on a third-degree murder charge because surveillance camera showed the shooting occur, Steele said."

So the brother was seen shooting her on the video. Just damm. What? I'm just blown away by this one. I'm hoping the DA will charge the mother with aiding & abetting or something that will put her behind bars for a long time.
There's got to be more to this story, IMO.

About 3rd Degree Murder in Pennsylvania:
-------------------------
Murder of the third degree is a felony of the first degree.” Third degree murder is punishable by a prison sentence of 10-20 years. Killing someone without premeditation or without intention is third degree murder, so long as it was not done while committing a felony (second degree murder).

Pennsylvania murder laws explained by a Phila. criminal lawyer
-------------------------

 

[realanastasia]

From the website cited in the post above mine:
"Involuntary Manslaughter – Reckless Act
Involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor of the first degree, is defined as the killing of a person that resulted from an unlawful act or lawful act which was committed in a reckless or grossly negligent manner. An individual driving a car at high speed through a school zone during school hours is guilty of involuntary manslaughter when he hits and kills a child crossing the street."

I'm guessing that perhaps the son assumed the gun was not loaded (because why else would his mother have thought it was safe to have him handle?) and was just horsing around pretending to shoot his sister when it went off. IF this is the case, then it seems excessive calling it 3rd degree murder rather than manslaughter. But then again--as I learned by following the Helen Miller murder case in Lancaster--Pennsylvania's laws about sentencing children as adults are also, IMO only, somewhat extreme in and of themselves. And IF the scenario I am hypothesizing turns out to be accurate, then the mother really should bear the brunt of the legal responsibility for this tragedy, IMO.

 

[Richrd]

27 April (Lower) Court Date*
.

Defendant:
- Jah’sir Vasquez, M / 13 -

- Collegeville,
Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania -
- Friday, 19 March 2021 -

6)) NBC News:
13-Year-Old Boy Charged with Murder for Montgomery County Shooting Death of His 12-Year-Old Sister
"...Despite the child’s age,
Pennsylvania law requires that we charge Jah’sir Vasquez, 13,
in Adult Criminal Court for the shooting death of his Sister..."

7)) Google™ Supplements & Updates:
Jasiyah Vasquez and Jah’sir Vasquez - PA - Google Search

8)) Pennsylvania Court Docket:
*https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-38119-CR-0000090-2021&dnh=2BLl1tSBCw4XZIszvVUpGg==
via: Case Search

9)) Coroner:
Cause of Death :: Gun-Shot Wound
Manner of Death :: Homicide

10)) PA "Juvenile Act"
Pennsylvania Statutes Title 42 Pa.C.S.A. Judiciary and Judicial Procedure § 6301 | FindLaw
​

& = And - [AMP' err sand]
§ = Section / Silcrow - [SILL' crow]
§§ = Sub-Section - [Double-Silcrow]
™ = Trademark
Autopsy = Body Examination to Determine Cause & Manner of Death
C.S.A. = Consolidated Statutes - Annotated
DA = District Attorney
F/12 = Female / Age 12
M/13 = Male / Age 13
F1 = Felony-Grade Crime of the 1st Degree
Fratricide = Killing of One's Sister
LE = Law Enforcement
LWOP = Life With-Out Parole
ME = Medical Examiner
MJ = (Lower) Magisterial District Judge Court
NBC = National Broadcasting Company
via = by-way-of
YOA = Years of Age

Our Support to All Domestic Violence
Survivors and Victims...​

[Contribution # 7929
Thread # 564318]
.

 

[realanastasia]

Wow, from the description here it does seem like the boy was horsing around and fired the gun unintentionally (or, at minimum, without knowing it was loaded!): INCIDENT: 13-YEAR-OLD CHARGED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF HIS SISTER

 

[Shamrock1]

This poor child. If his mother instructed him to retrieve the gun, he may have assumed it was safe to play around with, maybe show off in front of his sister. JMO. So sad all around.

 

[Shamrock1]

The mother has been arrested.
Police Arrest Mom of Boy Accused of Shooting and Killing Younger Sister

 

[Lusitana]

My guess is that this child was never even taught about gun safety. This is 100% on the mother.

Art therapy program aids people with epilepsy, exhibits at Kingston library
Picture of Jasiyah and Jah’sir on that article.

 

[Richrd]

27 April (Lower) Court DateS for Both Mother & Son
.

Recent Arrest of Mother, Also:

Defendant Mother:
- Daisy Diane Vasquez, F / 31 -

Defendant Son:
- Jah’sir Vasquez, M / 13 -

- Collegeville,
Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania -
- 19 March 2021 -

11)) NBC News:
Police Arrest Mom of Boy Accused of Shooting and Killing Younger Sister

12)) Montgomery County District Attorney:
https://www.montcopa.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5367

14)) Google™ Supplements & Updates:
Jasiyah Vasquez, Jah’sir Vasquez, & Daisy Vasquez - Google Search

15)) Pennsylvania Court Docket - Mother:
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-38119-CR-0000106-2021&dnh=IOawzAMEchdzDyG7OJeurQ==

16)) Pennsylvania Court Docket - Son:
https://ujsportal.pacourts.us/Report/MdjDocketSheet?docketNumber=MJ-38119-CR-0000090-2021&dnh=2BLl1tSBCw4XZIszvVUpGg==
via: Case Search

17)) Coroner:
Cause of Death :: Gun-Shot Wound
Manner of Death :: Homicide

18)) PA "Juvenile Act"
Pennsylvania Statutes Title 42 Pa.C.S.A. Judiciary and Judicial Procedure § 6301 | FindLaw
​

& = And - [AMP' err sand]
§ = Section / Silcrow - [SILL' crow]
§§ = Sub-Section - [Double-Silcrow]
™ = Trademark
Autopsy = Body Examination to Determine

Cause & Manner of Death​

C.S.A. = Consolidated Statutes - Annotated
DA = District Attorney
F/12 = Female / Age 12
F/31 = Female / Age 31
M/13 = Male / Age 13
F1 = Felony-Grade Crime of the 1st Degree
Fratricide = Killing of One's Sister
LE = Law Enforcement
ME = Medical Examiner
MJ = (Lower) Magisterial District Judge Court
Montco = Montgomery County, PA
NBC = National Broadcasting Company
via = by-way-of
W-H = White and Hispanic
YOA = Years of Age

Our Support to All Domestic Violence
Survivors and Victims...​

[Contribution # 7934
Thread # 564318]
.

 

[realanastasia]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/03/29/children-under-fire-excerpt/

This is a sobering long-format essay about the risks to children associated with having unsecured guns in the home, which is NOT a point I am trying to discuss on this thread (or anywhere on WS due to TOS), but I am sharing this article here because of a relevant passage about efforts to make parents liable for their children’s misuse of firearms:


“A Washington Post review of 145 school shootings committed by children in the two decades after the Columbine High massacre in 1999 found that the weapon’s source had been publicly identified in 105 cases. In total, the guns those children used were taken from their own homes or those of relatives or friends 80 percent of the time, but in just four instances did the adult owners of the weapons face any criminal punishment for not having locked them up — and none of those prosecutions stemmed from negligent-storage laws.
“We’re looking at a class of crimes where deterrence might actually work,” said Russ Hauge, a former Washington state prosecutor and Second Amendment supporter who tried, in vain, to imprison a gun owner after a third-grader found the man’s .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and took it to school, where it went off, leaving a bullet lodged near the spine of an 8-year-old girl. “If there was a clear law that says felony punishment will ensue if you don’t handle your weapons safely, I think we could get some people’s attention.”

It will be interesting to see if this particular case in PA is used as a sort of test to see if courts are comfortable holding parents legally responsible for their children’s actions with their (the parents’) firearms.

 

[Bananahammock123]

I have a question. So what happens if you have video evidence that this mother has misused a firearm in the past? Because I am a former neighbor of the mother, I have video of her boyfriend threatening a family on our street with that very gun. Police reports were made and ignored because the police said she likes to sue for discrimination. So we lived in terror until one neighbor had her housing voucher revoked and she moved. These neighbors can also attest to the fact that she has been a less than attentive mother. She made that boy a babysitter most of his life for his younger siblings. She was never home and the kids were never taken care of. She had many men in-and-out of her life and they were less than desirable people. To the residents of our neighborhood who were terrorized and had property destroyed because of her, we deserve to see her charged to the fullest extent and the son receive lesser charges. He definitely needs a new family with the capability to raise him properly. To the administration of pottstown that let her do this. You should be ashamed of yourself. The reports to ypu were alarming and fluid with plenty of evidence. Shame on you. This little person could have lived. Check out the children and youth anonymous tips that were sent about her years ago. Maybe you'll finally open your eyes !

 

[Shamrock1]

I have a question. So what happens if you have video evidence that this mother has misused a firearm in the past? Because I am a former neighbor of the mother, I have video of her boyfriend threatening a family on our street with that very gun. Police reports were made and ignored because the police said she likes to sue for discrimination. So we lived in terror until one neighbor had her housing voucher revoked and she moved. These neighbors can also attest to the fact that she has been a less than attentive mother. She made that boy a babysitter most of his life for his younger siblings. She was never home and the kids were never taken care of. She had many men in-and-out of her life and they were less than desirable people. To the residents of our neighborhood who were terrorized and had property destroyed because of her, we deserve to see her charged to the fullest extent and the son receive lesser charges. He definitely needs a new family with the capability to raise him properly. To the administration of pottstown that let her do this. You should be ashamed of yourself. The reports to ypu were alarming and fluid with plenty of evidence. Shame on you. This little person could have lived. Check out the children and youth anonymous tips that were sent about her years ago. Maybe you'll finally open your eyes !

Perhaps an attorney/paralegal with criminal defense experience can chime in? I’d say contact the district attorney and defense attorneys and keep a record of that communication.

 

[Shamrock1]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/03/29/children-under-fire-excerpt/

This is a sobering long-format essay about the risks to children associated with having unsecured guns in the home, which is NOT a point I am trying to discuss on this thread (or anywhere on WS due to TOS), but I am sharing this article here because of a relevant passage about efforts to make parents liable for their children’s misuse of firearms:


“A Washington Post review of 145 school shootings committed by children in the two decades after the Columbine High massacre in 1999 found that the weapon’s source had been publicly identified in 105 cases. In total, the guns those children used were taken from their own homes or those of relatives or friends 80 percent of the time, but in just four instances did the adult owners of the weapons face any criminal punishment for not having locked them up — and none of those prosecutions stemmed from negligent-storage laws.
“We’re looking at a class of crimes where deterrence might actually work,” said Russ Hauge, a former Washington state prosecutor and Second Amendment supporter who tried, in vain, to imprison a gun owner after a third-grader found the man’s .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and took it to school, where it went off, leaving a bullet lodged near the spine of an 8-year-old girl. “If there was a clear law that says felony punishment will ensue if you don’t handle your weapons safely, I think we could get some people’s attention.”

It will be interesting to see if this particular case in PA is used as a sort of test to see if courts are comfortable holding parents legally responsible for their children’s actions with their (the parents’) firearms.

That's a good thought. The mother here instructed the son to retrieve the gun - do you think that makes it a good/bad test case? I don’t know much about this, but I hear a lot more about owners who just fail to secure their firearms. (And just a PSA - you can buy secure boxes/cases on Amazon with next-day delivery. No excuse ever!)

 

[realanastasia]

That's a good thought. The mother here instructed the son to retrieve the gun - do you think that makes it a good/bad test case? I don’t know much about this, but I hear a lot more about owners who just fail to secure their firearms. (And just a PSA - you can buy secure boxes/cases on Amazon with next-day delivery. No excuse ever!)

Well, I did initially think it might be a good test case for just that reason, Shamrock1! But then I re-read the article I linked to above and realized that it wouldn't be, after all, due to the fact that the mother is being charged with"endangering the welfare of children, hindering prosecution, and related offenses." She is not being charged with murder/manslaughter/negligent homicide as I'd incorrectly assumed! The charges against her are still pretty serious--they're classed as third-degree felonies. Mother charged in shooting death of 12-year-old daughter in Montgomery County: DA

Also from the article below:
"The boy, 13, later told detectives that he didn’t remember pointing the gun at his sister, that it went off accidentally, and that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her. The children’s mother initially told police she accidentally shot Jasiyah while unloading her gun, according to the affidavit of probable cause for her arrest. After detectives confronted her about inconsistencies in her statement, Vasquez admitted that she lied to protect her son and that she had told the boy to take her gun from her car just before the shooting."

Collegeville woman charged with lying to police after her son killed her daughter, DA says

I really feel like this is a tragedy all the way around.

 

[Shamrock1]

Such a tragedy. Just knowing that he killed his sister (and I’m purposely using “killed” instead of “murdered”) is punishment enough IMO. I just hope he’s getting lots and lots of specialized therapies so he is able to be a healthy adult.

 

[Lusitana]

This is so sad. Reminds me of another case. He didn’t do it on purpose, it’s the mother’s fault!

He needs therapy and so, so, so much help, not going to trial or jail time.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Teen held for trial in shooting of sister

A 13-year-old boy sobbed uncontrollably as prosecutors played for a judge the home surveillance videotape they allege depicts the boy firing the gunshot that fatally wounded his younger sister inside their Upper Providence home. Jah’sir Vasquez, of the 100 block of Larchwood Court, buried his face in the arms of Alana M. Hook, director of policy and social services for the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender, as the sounds of the gunshot and his 12-year-old sister Jasiyah’s screams blared from the recording played during his preliminary hearing on homicide-related charges before District Court Judge Richard H. Welsh. Shortly after the gunshot, Jasiyah screams, "mom, Jah shot me" before collapsing, according to the videotape.

 

[Lusitana]

Teen held for trial in shooting of sister

A 13-year-old boy sobbed uncontrollably as prosecutors played for a judge the home surveillance videotape they allege depicts the boy firing the gunshot that fatally wounded his younger sister inside their Upper Providence home. Jah’sir Vasquez, of the 100 block of Larchwood Court, buried his face in the arms of Alana M. Hook, director of policy and social services for the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender, as the sounds of the gunshot and his 12-year-old sister Jasiyah’s screams blared from the recording played during his preliminary hearing on homicide-related charges before District Court Judge Richard H. Welsh. Shortly after the gunshot, Jasiyah screams, "mom, Jah shot me" before collapsing, according to the videotape.

Those poor kids, both victims.

 

[Idon'tneedthesame]

I lived in the townhouse development "Perkiomen Woods" where this occurred. We moved away 2019 but I wanted to share my experience. I also worked for the local school district and Jasiyah was one of my students. She was a very sweet girl. She did not have a great home life and often told us (staff) that her brother was mean to her and she was afraid of him. We never thought too much about it because a lot of children say that about siblings. The Mom was more interested in dating than parenting. JMO on that. This breaks my heart for both children.