by hubert 11 Replies latest jw friends
This is in the news right now, and on Yahoo home page.
I tried to copy/paste the article, but can't do it. Can someone find it and paste the link or better yet, the article in a reply here so we can discuss it? When I started to read it, it sounded so much like a J.W. family, that it is scary. Thanks.
Hubert
Here's the article. It says that they were Evangelicals:
Erroneous link to violent video games in: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
Associated Press P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press – Fri Mar 4, 4:34 am ET
BURLINGTON, Colo. – The 12-year-old boy was described by friends as a wholesome kid who often volunteered at church, handing out bulletins, working audio and video equipment and helping other kids learn Bible verses.
They said he showed no outward signs of family problems.
Then, police say, the boy did the unthinkable, allegedly killing his parents and wounding two of his younger siblings in a case that has rattled this rural farming and ranching community of 3,700 near the Kansas border.
Police say they discovered the attacks Tuesday after the boy called 911 to report a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found the bodies Charles and Marilyn Long, who had been fatally shot. Two of the couple's children — a 5-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy — were wounded.
The 12-year-old boy was then taken into custody, stunning friends and neighbors.
District attorney Robert Watson said Thursday he plans to file two counts of first-degree murder and other charges against him by the end of Friday. He hasn't decided whether to try to prosecute the boy as an adult.
Tom Ward, a public defender representing the boy, declined to comment.
Charles and Marilyn Long, who were in their early 50s, had seven children; four of them are grown and no longer live at home. Marilyn Long homeschooled her kids and ran the children's ministry at the local Evangelical Free Church. Her husband served as an elder there.
Wally Long, the oldest brother of Charles Long, expressed disbelief about the accusations against his nephew, as well as a concern for the boy. The 12-year-old is being held at the nearest juvenile detention facility in Greeley, about 150 miles from his hometown.
"Whatever caused it, he is still who he is. He's still my nephew. And the first question I would ask him is, 'How are you?'" Wally Long said Thursday in an interview broadcast on Denver television stations.
Doctors expect the injured children to fully recover, he said.
Wally Long added his brother and sister-in-law lived for their children and there was nothing to indicate something like this could happen.
"It's a mystery to me. I'm sure it's a mystery to everyone," he said.
The pastor at the family's church agreed, adding he was unaware of any changes in jobs, housing or schooling that the family may have been dealing with.
The Rev. Ron Lee said the 12-year-old boy was involved with church activities, including greeting visitors before Sunday service, running PowerPoint presentations and helping other children memorize Bible verses. [Not likely a JW]
When a school activity prevented the boy from volunteering on Sunday, he called the church to make sure there was a substitute greeter, Lee said.
"He was pleasant, helpful, a good spirit, a good kid," he said. "I'm so shocked. I almost feel like I need to hear from him or one of the children. He's not your typical 12-year-old."
Watson, the district attorney, said he'll take the community's views into consideration as he weighs whether to ask a judge to move the case to regular court and prosecute the boy as an adult. Watson said he'll also consider the boy's circumstances — such as whether he has any mental health problems — as he makes that decision.
"I have to be fair to both the community and this young man," Watson said.
His sprawling judicial district on Colorado's sparsely populated Eastern Plains normally goes two or three years without a single slaying. However, Watson said six people have faced murder charges in the district since August.
Ooooops ! Blank post.
I realize they weren't J.W.'s, but notice the similarities?
Home schooled....I know that isn't a factor in the killing, so I don't mean to offend anyone who does this, but just to point out many J.W. kids are home schooled, or their parents would like them to be.
Father is an "Elder".
Kid worked mikes and handed out flyers, etc. It just sounds like the "church" is a branch off of the W.T. tree.....to me, anyway.
Hubert
Home schooled....I know that isn't a factor in the killing, so I don't mean to offend anyone who does this, but just to point out many J.W. kids are home schooled, or their parents would like them to be.
I don't know... Home school could very well be a factor. I've met people like that, and they're usually extremely abused emotionally, and about ready to go crazy. EDIT: That's taking into consideration the rest of the way he was described. There are a lot of homeschool people that are fine, but he seemed to be in a high control situation without any outside socialization.
I think the "branch off of the W.T. tree" goes the other way, myself.
Tragic.
I'd like to hear the kid's side before commenting, and that isn't likely to come out accurately for awhile.
Growing up, there was much abuse in my family. My dad was an elder and for several years he was PO.
Following one incident of police involvement, I was talking to one of the officers. I was no longer living at home but was very involved with my younger siblings and one of them had called me to come help. So talking to the officer, it came up in conversation that my family was studying the bible just before the violence. He response: You'd be amazed at how often 'bible study' is the activity that families say they were doing just before the violence.
It's not just JWs. But their structured regimine does not give much room for release of steam. And the pressure to be 'better than the rest' takes it's toll. Often on the children.
-Aude.
This is very tragic indeed.
I agree with Aude on this.
I think the fact that the father was an elder in his church had something to do with it. Kids with elder fathers usually are pressured to be perfect all the time. This can make anyone snap.
The kids may have been homeschooled due to "bad association" or it could just be because they lived in a rural community, like the article said. I don't think violent video games is the reason, doubt this kid got to play anything like this. If he did, maybe he would have had another outlet for his violent tendencies.
btw: where did the gun come from? Do you think dad kept it to put animals down? Peace, Lilly
