Teens charged with murder won’t need a permission slip for their trip to prison
The Facts: In September 2009, as two rival gangs fought outside a community center in south side of Chicago, 16-year-old honor Derrion Albert was caught in the middle of the fight trying to get out. Unfortunately for Derrion he was beaten to death. A video caught on a bystander’s cell phone showed Derrion being kicked, punched and struck on the head with a long wooden board. Prosecutors charged four teenagers, Silvonus Shannon, 19; Eric Carson, 16; Eugene Riley, 18; and Eugene Bailey, 18, with murder. The Law: In Illinois first-degree murder is killing another person without lawful justification, where the person who performs the act causing death either intends to kill or do great bodily harm to that person or knows that his act creates a strong probability of death or great bodily harm.
Murder is the most criminal act of all of the homicides. Usually a person is not charged with murder unless the person acted with intent to kill. In other words, the four teens have to have intended to kill Derrion in particular. But another part of murder is not intent to kill but intent to do great bodily harm or strong probably that the person will die. Well it seems that punching, kicking, and hitting someone over the head with a wooden-board is likely to cause great bodily harm and or death.
The Takeaway: It may sound cliché but it’s never okay to hit someone. If those guys did not use violence to express their anger, the fight would never have started. This is how a little fight turns into a big crime that caused someone to lose his life. If the four teens charged are convicted with first-degree murder they will probably never see a day outside a jail cell. They will never get married, have children, own a home, go to the movies, and listen to their iPod, text, FaceBook, and on and on. You get the point. Another thing, if they did not have a driver’s license or learned to drive, they will never be able to do that behind bars. When you have a problem talk to a guidance counselor, teacher, family members or a classmate – do not resort to violence to solve your problems.
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