backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 166 comment(s) - last by Mojo the Monke.. on Jul 10 at 6:36 PM

Heather Trujillo
Teen Heather Trujillo gets 6-years suspended sentence at youth offender program after helping beat sister to death

A teen and her boyfriend from Johnstown, Colorado claimed that they were acting out the video game Mortal Kombat when they kicked, karate chopped, and body slammed 7-year-old Zoe Garcia. The two teens that attacked Garcia were her half-sister Heather Trujillo and her 17-year-old boyfriend Lamar Roberts.

Garcia later died at the hospital as a result of the beating she received from her sister and Roberts. This week, a judge in Weld County Colorado handed down a suspended sentence to Trujillo for her part in the beating death.

Trujillo will be sent to a youth offender program where she will serve a 6-year sentence rather than spend time in prison. The charge originally leveled against Trujillo and Roberts was child abuse resulting in a death. Trujillo pleaded guilty in May and agreed to testify against Roberts as part of a plea bargain.

The mother of both Zoe Garcia and Heather Trujillo, Dana Trujillo, asked the judge to be lenient in the sentencing of Trujillo according to 9News. The mother said, “I already lost one daughter. She made a huge mistake and she paid a huge price. My family hasn't had a chance to grieve for Zoe because of all this. We haven't been together, haven't got any time to express how this has affected us."

The prosecuting attorney in Trujillo’s case asked the judge for the maximum sentence because of the brutality of the crime and because Trujillo could have stopped it. Robert’s first appearance in court will be at a preliminary hearing on July 10.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
It's a sad world we live in...
By amanojaku on 7/3/2008 12:07:48 PM , Rating: 5
When two 17 year olds need to "act out" Mortal Kombat.




RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Polynikes on 7/3/2008 12:13:21 PM , Rating: 5
Seriously... What kind of imbeciles would do such a thing? I say put 'em both away for as long as possible. A 7 year old? Jesus H.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By othercents on 7/3/2008 1:30:44 PM , Rating: 1
She was probably supposed to babysit while the parents were out and then she brought her boyfriend over. At 17 you should know better than to beat up a 7 year old. However it is possible that she was playing nice and her boyfriend was going at it full out. Because of the plea bargain I would expect her boyfriend to already have a record and the prosecution had a reason to him as intentionally harming her sister.

Saying that she could have stopped it at anytime is difficult to say. She might have tried.

Other


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 6:03:55 PM , Rating: 2
This is an example of why parents should leave kids home alone with kids.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 6:05:15 PM , Rating: 1
Oops! I meant should NOT. Edit button!!!


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Alexvrb on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 10:53:54 PM , Rating: 1
This isn't real life though, it's text. You can edit text...


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By typo101 on 7/4/2008 7:19:37 AM , Rating: 5
I think you mean "This isn't real life, this is the internet. You can pretend to be perfect on the internet."

And of course you can edit text... BEFORE you post. You know how they say think before you speak? Read before you post.


By JustTom on 7/4/2008 12:51:12 PM , Rating: 4
The problem with an edit button is you can post flame bait, then edit the post to seem reasonable. And all those people who responded to your bait look like complete idiots getting so worked up over a harmless post.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By xti on 7/7/2008 3:42:42 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Yes, because heaven forbid you take advantage of the preview button to review your one sentence.


you are holding onto life too tightly. say it with me....'good bye cruel world!!'...

its monday...have some caffeine people!!


By chiadog on 7/5/2008 2:53:43 PM , Rating: 3
... Or just preview what's typed before actually posting it ;)


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By MrSmurf on 7/3/2008 10:04:39 PM , Rating: 5
Yeah, heaven forbid parents for assuming their 17 year old daughter would be capable of babysitting her 7 year old sister without beating her to death. What has this world come to!?!?

**Please not the saturation of sarcasm in my writing this**


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 10:51:29 PM , Rating: 1
For parents to have a 17 year old in that frame of mind says something about the parents.

If only you'd had an edit button you could fix your typo and change "not" to "note."


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Pezman37 on 7/5/2008 9:01:35 PM , Rating: 2
I doubt any of this is true, this is some lawyers scapegoating, or the kids own concoction for beating someone up.


By Mojo the Monkey on 7/10/2008 6:34:25 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
I doubt any of this is true, this is some lawyers scapegoating, or the kids own concoction for beating someone up.


Agreed. The real scenario was likely more sinister. One of them likely recalled the incident years back where the boy emulated professional wrestling when he killed his younger sibling... and then tried to cook up something similar.

They should both be given the harshest sentences available under juvenile law.


By maverick85wd on 7/7/2008 11:33:01 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
For parents to have a 17 year old in that frame of mind says something about the parents.


So at what age should someone start taking accountability for their own actions? I never knew my dad and it pissed me off sometimes when I was younger but I never beat my half brother that's 9 years younger than me to death. Because I knew better. Even with the worst of parents, by the time someone is old enough to legally drive a vehicle, get a job, or is about to enter the real world and start making somethin of themselves I would hope they know enough not to beat a 7-year old to death and then blame it on a video game.

You've GOT to be kidding me.


By afkrotch on 7/7/2008 4:29:17 AM , Rating: 2
Your 17 and have a girlfriend. Why beat the little kid? Shouldn't he be getting his girlfriend pregnant or something?


By sieistganzfett on 7/3/2008 4:42:10 PM , Rating: 1
exactly, anyone over 13 should know acting out mortal kombat or other violent game on a a person such as a 7 year old is not a good idea, let alone safe. either put the 2 teens (girl and her bf) in jail forever or in a nut house since they are clearly insane.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By slickr on 7/8/2008 1:08:45 PM , Rating: 2
totally agree. At 17 they should know better.
If she can call her boyfriend home alone, while she was "supposedly" babysitting her brother, she should know better than beating her brother to death.

I say put them both to prison for as many as 20 years, maybe that will teach them some things!


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Machinegear on 7/8/2008 1:52:47 PM , Rating: 3
As a tax payer, I don't want to pay for her life in a prison (effectively, making me the slave). We use to think murders were responsible for their own actions which warranted death since the murderer could never replace the life they took.

She understood how to perform the execute move. Too bad the "adults" don't.


By Fronzbot on 7/8/2008 2:04:26 PM , Rating: 2
But it was all Mortal Kombat's fault- they taught her to kill and brainwashed her into beating up her little step-sister! You can't give her the death penalty or even put her in jail for that! We should burn down the video game companies that deliberately produce these games for the sole purpose of killing other people. Besides, girls don't do anything bad and evil, I bet it was all the boyfriend's idea.

/sarcasm


By Mojo the Monkey on 7/10/2008 6:36:13 PM , Rating: 2
Have you looked into the cost to the taxpayer for each death sentence handed down? Its cheaper to incarcerate them permanently.

Just throw them into the general prison population and hopefully they get shanked. Then everyone's happy.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/3/2008 12:17:17 PM , Rating: 1
Both assailants were 17 years old. The baby was 7 years old.


By VaultDweller on 7/3/2008 12:31:14 PM , Rating: 3
Correction: Roberts (the boyfriend) was 17. Heather Trujillo was 16.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/2008 12:41:02 PM , Rating: 2
Seventeen-year-old Heather Trujillo was given an 18-year suspended sentence in the death of 7-year-old Zoe Garcia.

the above is from the WGN report.

She was 17 at when sentence. I thought she was a year younger then boyfriend - so 16 when it happend. Really not important. I could not find anything to state her age at time of crime, but I did not look hard either.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By VaultDweller on 7/3/2008 12:44:44 PM , Rating: 2
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AI...

She's referred to as 16 in that article, though it doesn't clearly state if that was at the time of the murder or at the time of her plea.


By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/2008 12:53:37 PM , Rating: 2
Thanks, I knew I was not 100% nuts....


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By DASQ on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By spe1491 on 7/3/2008 1:28:15 PM , Rating: 5
tell that to the mother....


By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/2008 3:59:05 PM , Rating: 5
Well lets me fair... I've watched Mother's call their 40 year old kids their little baby and I would not correct them either.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By PWNettle on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
By FaceMaster on 7/3/2008 7:31:38 PM , Rating: 5
I told your Mum that but she wouldn't listen


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Justin Case on 7/4/2008 12:40:15 AM , Rating: 1
Wasn't it the mother who asked the judge to be lenient? I guess that says a lot about the people here saying "hang them"...


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By chiadog on 7/5/2008 3:00:12 PM , Rating: 2
No mother would want to send their kiddo to jail. Otherwise, she would be just as heartless as this kid.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 7/7/2008 7:39:45 AM , Rating: 5
That's the problem with society. We want to look the other way when it's our kid, but condemn someone elses. The standard works one way. I applaud any parent that has the spine to not defend their kid for acts they do in society. If the kid screwed up, its the kids problem. At some point the parents did their job, its up to the kid to make the right decisions afterwards or suffer the consequences.


By seekerofknowledge on 7/8/2008 8:34:43 AM , Rating: 4
I wouldn’t consider the mother’s actions “the problem with society”. The structure of our justice system allows for a non-biased judgment to be handed down to the accused. The mother’s plea for a lenient sentence is simply proof of the adage: Love is blind.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Dianoda on 7/3/2008 12:30:46 PM , Rating: 5
Wrong, it was two seventeen year-olds beating one seven year-old. Older sister and boyfriend vs. little sister, uh, ftw.

Also, I don't see why this needed to be reported at Dailytech. It really has nothing to do with Daily or tech, besides maybe the warped Mortal Kombat angle, but that's a bit of a stretch. This isn't the type of thing you would ever want to hear about, couldn't the DT gods just have spared us our innocence?


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By bysmitty on 7/3/2008 12:35:07 PM , Rating: 4
Agreed. It annoys me that this is even being covered on gaming websites let along tech websites.

...bysmitty


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 6:10:06 PM , Rating: 3
It NEEDS to be on gaming websites, as a warning to young gamers and parents alike that dehumanization through media can indeed lead to bad things. We must not forget it and we must be monitoring our kids states of minds. When kids grow up and become parents, then they may remember the story of this, and be paying attention.

As a general rule, you don't put a t.v. in your 5 year old's room and let them watch any movie off the shelf repeatedly just because you're too lazy to actually be a parent. It will have detrimental effects to the child's perception of the world and humanity. Period. Nobody can dispute this fact, our own militaries practice dehumanization so that soldiers are ready to kill other human beings.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By jonrem on 7/4/2008 7:26:40 AM , Rating: 4
Though I agree with you for the most part, blaming Mortal Kombat is a cop out and a B.S. one at that. It's a shame she won't spend time in an adult correctional facility where other inmates could act out Mortal Kombat on her.


By Josh7289 on 7/4/2008 4:42:49 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, it's true that seeing graphic violence over and over as a kid will almost surely screw you up, but Mortal Kombat or other forms of media are not to blame for this incident.

If the parents let their kids be exposed to such media on a continuous basis, then they perhaps planted the seeds for the kids acting out the violence in real-life, but in the end, the only ones you can blame for what happened are the attackers themselves.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By BioHazardous on 7/3/2008 1:20:46 PM , Rating: 4
It's awesome that you took the time to read the article and comments about it just so you could complain about how the article shouldn't have been published on DT. The title of the article was not misleading, so if you felt it shouldn't have been on here and didn't want to read it, you didn't have to click on it.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By TSS on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 6:14:23 PM , Rating: 2
If you don't want emotions then I suggest you remove your medula oblongata and lock yourself in a closet until you perish. That way you'll feel only thirst, hunger, and loneliness for a short time.

Otherwise get used to the fact that there is ugliness in the world, and on a news website and online you're bound to run into something you don't like.

Personally, I like to see this sort of thing because that way I can use it as an example in a stimulating debating conversation, or maybe as supporting evidence in a speech I'm giving for school.

As others said, if you don't like the headline, don't click it. If you're too afraid to be able to handle learning about worldly on-goings then you should probably check yourself into a psychiatrist. There is help for those that live in fear.


By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 3:46:34 PM , Rating: 5
This affects all of us who are gamers. They used the "but the video game made me do it" defense. So this will be all over TV, they will come up with a hundred proposals on how to make games less violent or to keep violent games out of peoples' hands. They will go on and on about how we don't need games to be so violent. Video gaming in general and the people who play them will be portrayed badly. Yeah, I'd say this is relevant to the DT audience.


By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 3:42:06 PM , Rating: 2
Amazing how simple 3rd grade reading comprehension eludes many of us.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Cygni on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By DASQ on 7/3/2008 12:48:38 PM , Rating: 3
To be fair, me and my two brothers will still fighting epic hand to hand combat battles after episodes of Power Rangers when we were in the 12-16 year old range.

But none of us died either. Without specifics on the injuries, it's hard to say if it was really that brutal, or if it was just one odd hit that was the killing blow (like that teen that died in one punch to the jaw).


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By DASQ on 7/3/2008 12:49:13 PM , Rating: 1
were still*


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Geektek3 on 7/3/2008 5:27:26 PM , Rating: 2
From the Article:
"kicked, karate chopped, and body slammed 7-year-old Zoe Garcia"
Sounds rather brutal to me. If the two teens were doing it to each other, then not so brutal sounding. But 2 on 1 to a 7 year old, yeah...


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Justin Case on 7/3/08, Rating: 0
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By JustTom on 7/4/2008 1:03:57 PM , Rating: 2
I am pretty sure an autopsy can figure both the cause of death and any injuries incurred before death. Frankly, how the murderers describe the assault is meaningless to me.

From the Greely Tribune:
Initially, according to court records, Trujillo said she was playing wrestling with her sister playing “Mortal Kombat” with her sister when she suddenly collapsed. Court affidavits: "during the time they were wrestling, she (Heather Trujillo) had tripped the victim, punched her in the stomach, karate chopped her lower arms, punched and pinched the victim's thighs, kicked her in the shins, slapped her stomach and buttocks and poked at the victim's chest."

The two attempted to revive the child by placing a raw egg in her throat, to ensure she wasn’t faking, and put her in the shower before calling 911, according to affidavits.

A 16-year-old witness told police a different story stating that Roberts said he had kicked Zoe Garcia multiple times while drunk, body slammed her and bragged that his hands were "lethal weapons," and were "registered in the books.”

This was no harmless horseplay.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Justin Case on 7/4/2008 2:07:37 PM , Rating: 1
The cause of death was listed simply as "injury to the head", which is perfectly consistent with an accident.

All the rest is either part of the teens' own account (and there's no mention of injury - it's perfeclty possible to punch, slap or pinch someone without even hurting them, let alone causing any damage), or simply media "embellishment".

The more evil they make someone look, the "gooder" the readers / viewers feel. That's the service they sell.

I think it says a lot about society in general that the dead girl's mother aked the judge to be lenient while a bunch of ignorant 13 year olds in web forums shout out that "they should be hanged".


By JustTom on 7/4/2008 2:24:12 PM , Rating: 3
You should really research more. There were extensive pre-mortality injuries inflicted upon the victim. These injuries were consistent with the witnesses testimony on what Roberts claimed to have done. From the autopsy report-

Autopsy records showed Zoe suffered a broken right wrist, bleeding in her brain, and more than 20 bruises and injuries to her neck and spine. The Weld County Coroner's Office said she died from blunt-force trauma, specifically the bleeding and swelling of the brain.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/16772228/deta...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/16772228/deta...


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By BBeltrami on 7/3/2008 1:08:31 PM , Rating: 4
The fact that a judge accepted "Acting out mortal kombat" as a defense is astounding. To have 16-17 year olds so detached from reality and the consequences of their acts that they beat her sibling to death? My brain wants to think they were violently mentally ill, or were on PCP or crack and were in some kind of raging drug-induced frenzy.

But no, Mom, we were just acting out Mortal Kombat! (Innocent Smiles) Oh don't worry about lil 'sis, the reset button is stuck or something. I'm sure she'll be fine in a few minutes. For those slow on the pickup, this is sociopathic behavior and should merit AT LEAST some sort of psychological evaluation. Yikes.

Or is this our future? Our children do not require boundaries and should not suffer the pseudo-slavery of the controlling adults across the planet. Instinct and impulse rule the day! Last week: Child sues parents and overturns punishment. This Week: Teen mercilessly murders sister, escapes serious consequences.

Brave New World, indeed.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By TheDoc9 on 7/3/2008 3:11:38 PM , Rating: 4
At that age the mortal kombat line was probably just an excuse, especially since the game is as old as they are. The beating might have something to do with the fact that the little girl was a half sister but there are a number of details left out of the story, there's no way to know.


By JonnyDough on 7/3/2008 6:17:15 PM , Rating: 2
It is possible that her lawyer told her to say that.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By SavagePotato on 7/3/2008 1:54:22 PM , Rating: 5
When my parents were 17 they were acting out mortal child raising, and, working like a slave so your family doesn't starve II: the revenge.


By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 3:51:50 PM , Rating: 2
Ha Ha! Best thing I've read all day!


By Alias1431 on 7/3/2008 1:57:55 PM , Rating: 1
I would rather play doctor.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By osalcido on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
By Geektek3 on 7/3/2008 5:32:47 PM , Rating: 1
Really? You'd rather they beat the crap out of the 7 year old than go screw each other?

On top of that, you label the 7 y/o as one of the "dodos". Seriously? No one is saying she was a willing participant here...


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Coca Cola on 7/3/2008 2:59:26 PM , Rating: 2
yeah, too bad these idiots didn't act out the FRIENDSHIP!! part of the game instead of Fatality.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By sxr7171 on 7/3/08, Rating: -1
RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 7/7/2008 7:42:22 AM , Rating: 1
You missed it. There was a VG Flash clip some years back that had Friendship as a Fatality. It was a joke, but highly amusing.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By jamdunc on 7/10/2008 5:58:28 PM , Rating: 2
It wasn't a joke, it was actually a feature they added into later Mortal Kombat games. I remember Sub-Zero did something with a snowman, and someone went skipping. There were others too but I can't remember them.


RE: It's a sad world we live in...
By Samus on 7/4/2008 12:47:00 AM , Rating: 2
Mortal Kombat? Didn't that game come out when these kids were infants?


guilt
By Screwballl on 7/3/2008 11:54:52 AM , Rating: 3
Ithink her guilt will be more of a factor in rehabilitation than anything else. She will be scarred for life but at least this way out of prison she may have a chance at a semi normal life.... which is better then what the hacker kids got...




RE: guilt
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 7/3/2008 12:09:39 PM , Rating: 3
Then if she goes free, the BF should go free as well IMHO...

But seeing as how she's testifying against him, I have my doubts...


RE: guilt
By JasonMick (blog) on 7/3/2008 12:15:58 PM , Rating: 5
Young males are almost always treated more harshly by the U.S. criminal justice system than young females. Take the issue of consensual underage sex. Typically the boy will get charged with statutory rape, get sent to jail/corrections facilities even if he's the same age as the girl or slightly younger. Typically the girl serves no time.

There are examples to the contrary, but typically they require a larger age difference.

I suppose this sexism against young males its no worse than the underlying sexism most women experience at the job, still, though.


RE: guilt
By FITCamaro on 7/3/2008 12:38:36 PM , Rating: 3
And it pisses me off. But you never seen the women's rights groups or women's equality groups mentioning that one.

Even cases with older women having sex with teen boys usually result in the women getting a far lighter sentence than the reverse situation. Granted I doubt you'll ever see a 16 year old boy complaining about getting to bang his hot 25 year old teacher.


RE: guilt
By NullSubroutine on 7/3/2008 12:52:17 PM , Rating: 2
Actually there was a higher correlation between attractive females vs less attractive females for receiving lighter sentences.


RE: guilt
By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 4:10:53 PM , Rating: 3
Funny how society almost applauds the situation where the teen boy gets laid by a hottie and shows dismay when the woman in question is not so hot.

I can bet right now that Bill Clinton would not have been in so much trouble if he were caught with someone hot.


RE: guilt
By rcc on 7/3/2008 4:41:30 PM , Rating: 2
lol, all that twit had to do was say yup, we had sexual relations, now butt out, it's between me and my spouse.

People would have ooed and ahhhhed, and got on with life.


RE: guilt
By mikefarinha on 7/3/2008 6:16:39 PM , Rating: 3
But because he is who he is, he would never admit to it. And it is because he is who he is that he's got such issues in the first place.


RE: guilt
By GeorgeOu on 7/6/2008 3:28:45 AM , Rating: 2
Hey, I'm still wondering where these older hot ladies were when I was in high school damit!


RE: guilt
By jimbojimbo on 7/3/2008 5:21:47 PM , Rating: 2
As they say... Nice.


RE: guilt
By Icelight on 7/3/2008 1:26:29 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
Even cases with older women having sex with teen boys usually result in the women getting a far lighter sentence than the reverse situation.


But of course. In that event you described the woman is seen as a "poor, troubled individual" with perhaps marital problems (the husband being at fault, for reasons that should be obvious!) that have extended into producing erroneous sexual behaviour.

In the reverse case, the man is a pedophile, a pig, scum of the earth and downright disgusting, deserving to be castrated, hung and then tossed in to a ditch.


RE: guilt
By RamarC on 7/3/2008 2:17:43 PM , Rating: 3
I'm surprised no one's mentioned "Lionel Tate." The 12 year old tried and convicted for 1st degree murder after doing WWE wrestling moves on a 6 year old. His sentence was later overturned after serving 3 years but he had to plea to 2nd degree murder with 10 years probation.


RE: guilt
By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 4:13:14 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah but he was black and male. The worst scum on the planet. Being male is bad enough, but black and male?


RE: guilt
By sxr7171 on 7/3/2008 4:07:12 PM , Rating: 2
Seriously. This is turning out like the guy did everything and she was just watching.


RE: guilt
By JustTom on 7/4/2008 1:18:28 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Typically the boy will get charged with statutory rape, get sent to jail/corrections facilities even if he's the same age as the girl or slightly younger. Typically the girl serves no time.


I am tired of reading this. Where exactly are these young boys going to jail? Almost every state has "Romeo and Juliet" exceptions for cases of underage sex when both partners are close in age.


RE: guilt
By spuddyt on 7/3/2008 3:11:52 PM , Rating: 2
and what if that girl is a psychopath? i mean a clinical psychopath, feeling little to no emotion and perfectly capable of killing without even a shred of guilt?


RE: guilt
By Ringold on 7/3/2008 5:09:38 PM , Rating: 5
Then execute her.

Yeah, the politically correct answer would be a lifetime of expensive government-funded counseling or whatever, but I'm cheap.


RE: guilt
By Justin Case on 7/4/2008 12:53:13 AM , Rating: 1
What if they were just playing normally and the younger sister just happened to fall down some stairs or bang her head against the edge of a table?

The only people who actually saw what happened were the younger sister (dead) and the two teens. I doubt they'd describe what they did as "horrible beating" (even if it was). In fact, if they had done it deliberately, I bet they would have come up with a better excuse ("she fell", "housebreakers attacked us", whatever).

The fact that they admitted they had been play-fighting, coupled with the fact that the girl's mother asked the judge to be lenient, suggests that this was mainly an accident, resulting from some stupid (but not uncommon) play.

But after it's exploited by the media some prosecutor is obviously going to want to get a big conviction to advance his career, so they're doing what everyone does in that situation: blame it all on the nearest (poor) black guy. S.O.P.


RE: guilt
By JustTom on 7/4/2008 1:22:52 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
A 16-year-old witness told police a different story stating that Roberts said he had kicked Zoe Garcia multiple times while drunk, body slammed her and bragged that his hands were "lethal weapons," and were "registered in the books.”


The 'poor black guy' bragged about killing the child and boasted that his hands were lethal weapons. Pity pary cancelled.


RE: guilt
By Justin Case on 7/4/2008 2:16:36 PM , Rating: 2
Because "witnesses" never lie, right? Do you really think that someone on trial for murder would brag about it to someone else? What planet do you live on?


RE: guilt
By JustTom on 7/4/2008 2:29:35 PM , Rating: 2
Planet Earth. Yes criminals brag all the time, it is how an awful lot of them get caught. And the fact is the bragging is consistent with the injuries that the victim suffered. So we have a witness to statements by the alleged that coincide with the injuries.

If you don't believe criminals boast I think you need to re-examine humanity.


Blame the video game....
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/2008 12:12:19 PM , Rating: 4
1) Not the pot (I remember pot being involved the first time I read this story).
2) Not the loser boy friend who would even act out a round house kick on a 7 year old kid when he was 17.
3) Not the lack of responsibility that seems to be tolerated by society today. When I grew up, if I were to act out anything from a video game (violence wise) whether some one was hurt or not - If my parents saw it...I'd be running for the police myself for protection. Once the police saw my parent calm down, I would be released to them for 3 or 4 weeks of punishment. Today, they'd arrest my parents. You learned fast your actions are your responsibility and you better be willing to accept the outcome of your action.
4) Not the fact they kept hitting her after she was unconsciouses....
5) Not the fact they did nothing to help her till she stop breathing.

I feel sorry for the family to have to go through this... However, I can not say I'm surprised something like this happens in todays world.
Sorry if I seem mean, just this was an all round stupid thing to happen.




RE: Blame the video game....
By DarkElfa on 7/3/2008 12:29:31 PM , Rating: 4
"...in today's world"

Give me a break. The Romans would have set up seats and cheered them on.


RE: Blame the video game....
By nosfe on 7/3/2008 12:39:21 PM , Rating: 2
yes, but they were civilized, they only watched barbarians


RE: Blame the video game....
By stryfe on 7/3/2008 3:14:32 PM , Rating: 3
Murdering a 7 year old sounds pretty barbaric to me


RE: Blame the video game....
By Seemonkeyscanfly on 7/3/08, Rating: -1