I don't take it personally, Lurker!

I respect your opinions and understand your frustrations. They are my own.:blowkiss:
It's just different perceptions. I am very interested in understanding why we men (and women) do the terrible (and wonderful) things that we do. I feel very connected to my fellow human beings - even the "worst" of us - and I grow through developing an understanding of them.
Whether we "get" it or not, we know that some people are sexually aroused by children. We also know that some people will sexually abuse children more situationally - because they have the opportunity and desire and don't care who gets hurt. In my opinion, the more we understand these phenomena, the better armed we are to protect our children.
I also care deeply that abusers are - with extremely rare exception - victims of abuse. It is a chain of pain and that's an important thing to look at, IMHO. I feel compassion for anyone and everyone who has been a victim of abuse. I don't stop feeling that compassion when a victim of abuse becomes an offender. I don't feel like the chain of pain comes any closer to being broken by my withholding compassion from abuse victims.
To me - understanding does not equal excuses. There are no "excuses" in harming other human beings, but we do it because we are selfish and flawed.
We must all pay the consequences associated with our choices and actions. Being a believer in the law of karma, I feel like that happens regardless of my empathy-level for someone who behaves criminally. The 17-year-old boy in this case will pay the price for his actions. Of that, I feel certain.
I am a believer in fair sentences and people who harm being jailed away from the public. We still have problems in our judicial system (as can be seen in the WV list), to be certain, but I have faith in it as a whole. I think - today more than ever - abuse of children is in the forefront of the public mind and eye. That gives me a lot of hope.
And - as I stated earlier - I could never throw stones at the mother with so little information. I assume the best of people until I'm proven wrong because that's an attitude that continually serves me well in life.