AL 8-year-old charged with Murder, mother was out clubbing

[zenkai]

Source

TLDR - Mother goes out clubbing, leaves 8-year-old to watch 1-year-old. Kid beats the baby to death because she wouldn't stop crying. I think 8 is way too young to charge for murder, I am sure they knew they were doing something wrong but how wrong and he probably didn't know what he was doing would be permanent. Mother should be charged with neglect and involuntary man slaughter IMO.

(CNN) —An 8-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the beating death of a 1-year-old girl while their mothers went out clubbing, Birmingham, Alabama, police said.

The girl's mom, Katerra Lewis, has been charged with manslaughter in the case.

"The sad part is you had an adult mother here who had the audacity to leave her 1-year-old in the custody of several other children at the house and none of those kids were over the age of 8," Lt. Sean Edwards said at a Tuesday news conference covered by CNN affiliate WBRC.

"It is believed while the mother and friend were at the club; the 8 year old viciously attacked the 1 year old because the 1 year old would not stop crying," a police statement said. "The 1 year old suffered from severe head trauma as well as major internal organ damage which ultimately lead to her death."

Out for the night

According to police, Lewis and her friend left their kids alone around 11 p.m. on October 10 to go to a club. At least five children were left alone, none older than 8.

When the women returned around 2 a.m., they didn't check on the children.

Lewis found her baby unresponsive in her crib hours later and called authorities, police said. The Jefferson County Coroner ruled the death a homicide.

The 8-year-old is in the custody of the state Department of Human Resources.

Edwards said the Birmingham Police Department has never charged someone so young with murder before.

For the infant's mother, the cost could go well beyond any possible sentence if convicted of manslaughter.

"I think her punishment is going to be something she'll have to live with the rest of her life, her actions that night, choosing the club over taking care of her 1-year-old," Edwards said.

[shmee51]

American women

Infracted

[Rukh]

Yeah that's a whole lot of negligence. 5 kids and no family or friends to help her out. Go go culture.

[Forgettable]

That is sick. Just sick.

[Rukh]

Great parenting.

Pretty sure an 8 year old clubbing a baby isn't normal though, so i don't really think you can directly correlate her leaving with an 8 year old murdering a baby.

She has 5 children, nobody to help watch them, and she leaves them to go clubbing. I'm sure the 8 year old not understanding the ramification of his actions is unexpected.

[Rukh]

I mean... i knew that hitting babies was wrong when i was 8.

In fact I'm pretty sure i knew hitting anyone was wrong when i was 8.

Did you have 4 siblings and a single young mother who went clubbing instead of taking care of you?

[Revi]

Feel bad for the kid. Yeah, he did it, but it's not his fault he has a horribly mother who made him like that.

[unbound]

Sadly, parenting isn't taken seriously by everyone. In my own neighborhood, we have a number of parents that seem to think they are still college students and need to get smashed every few weeks. Great role-models for their kids (some of them are getting smashed out in the streets in full view of their kids).

BTW, predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood.

[Revi]

I mean... i knew that hitting babies was wrong when i was 8.

In fact I'm pretty sure i knew hitting anyone was wrong when i was 8.

Did you have 4 siblings and a single young mother who went clubbing instead of taking care of you?

^that.

Any 8-year old should understand that it's wrong, but shitty parenting has a big impact.

[Socialhealer]

^that.

Any 8-year old should understand that it's wrong, but shitty parenting has a big impact.

and when a mother of 5 goes out clubbing instead of looking after her children you know that parenting is as shit as it gets.

also i hope they're taking all the children away from her, they need a chance in, life and with that ugly retarded selfish whale they stand no chance.

[Gorsameth]

This is why procreation should not be a right.
Some people just are utterly unfit to be parents

[ParanoiD84]

I watched my brother to at that age, did i murder him? maby nah just messing with him like brothers lol.

[Azadina]

I was left alone at home when I was like 5, when the rest of the family went to visit relatives. Simply because I didn't feel like going that time, and asked many times if I could just stay home instead. Did fine, without feeling the need to destroy anything. Some people, like the 8 year old in this case, just have serious issues.

[PosPosPos]

^that.

Any 8-year old should understand that it's wrong, but shitty parenting has a big impact.

How dare you suggest that people aren't expected to automatically know right from wrong the moment they are born?

[SPOONMONKEYDROID84]

An 8 year old should have known what they were doing was wrong. The child was beat to death, so this wasn't just one hit. The child kept beating the baby until she died. That 8 year old has some serious issues and will need a lot of help. The mother should also be charged because it's her fault for letting an 8 year old babysit.

I'm unsure what the babysitting age is in Alabama, but 8 years old doesn't sound very right.

Sad all around.

im sure he was just doing what he was taught at home

[Kalis]

I was left alone at home when I was like 5, when the rest of the family went to visit relatives. Simply because I didn't feel like going that time, and asked many times if I could just stay home instead. Did fine, without feeling the need to destroy anything. Some people, like the 8 year old in this case, just have serious issues.

You had shitty parents.

[PosPosPos]

I'm pretty sure people have been in much more insane situations and haven't killed their baby siblings. Plenty of blame rests on the mother but i really don't see any evidence that her being a shitty parent somehow magically made her child into a murderer.

Yeah, I am sure everyone is born with a rulebook in their hands detailing what is right and wrong and what is and isn't against the law.

[Revi]

I was left alone at home when I was like 5, when the rest of the family went to visit relatives. Simply because I didn't feel like going that time, and asked many times if I could just stay home instead. Did fine, without feeling the need to destroy anything. Some people, like the 8 year old in this case, just have serious issues.

I'd guess you had some parenting and at least a half-way decent environment the rest of the time though. A lot of kids can be made violent or un-compassionate with the "right" parenting and environment.

I mean, child soldiers are a pretty big thing some places in the world. It's not like they're all just born psychos.

[dd614]

These kind of stories are sadly more common than you'd think. Not so bad as the 8 year old murdering, but hood moms leaving their kids home to go clubbing is very common.

The sad thing is, the 8 year old probably learned violence as a response from the mom.

[Azadina]

I'd guess you had some parenting and at least a half-way decent environment the rest of the time though. A lot of kids can be made violent or un-compassionate with the "right" parenting and environment.

Half decent being the word. As in half of the parents (father) being the most useless human to exist. I didn't turn out to be hateful or violent tho, and have alot of empathy and compassion in me. It all depends on how strong of a person you are mentally, I guess. Physically I'd be as weak as possible