I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. Where I live--Virginia, the only time the death penalty may be pursued is when a "capital offense" occurs. There's a very limited list--13 I believe--including killing a pregnant woman, a police officer, a young child, etc. I personally don't like it because to me it says that some lives are more valuable than others.

Pennsylvania does have the death penalty. I take back my previous statement however, that this kid won't be on death row. Pennsylvania doesn't have a minimum age for death row. I believe that once again this only happens with a capital offense, but off the top of my head I do not know what Pennsylvania defines those as.

Remember the law does not constitute execution of a minor that's why if he is found guilty, the max he can get is life.

Each state has different standards, but yeah it sounds like he is below the limit for PA.

yeah...I was referring specifically to PA...not sure if any state has a statute for executions for criminals under 18

I do apologize, I forgot that many states had not updated their laws in accordance with the 2005 ruling in Roper v. Simmons. So while Pennsylvania doesn't specifically cite an age where the death penalty may be used, they still have to abide by federal law.

I seem to remember a Supreme Court ruling fixing the minimum age for capital punishment at 18. This may have been Florida Supreme Court though.

Ah I wasn't aware of that case. Looking it up now.

I don't know the whole story, but that's what I was thinking.

Honestly, I don't think he should be tried as an adult because he does not have the mental capability of an adult. However, even at 11 kids know that a) killing is wrong and b) you apologize when you do wrong. It's been a year and he's still showing no remorse for having taken 2 lives? There's more going on here than just immaturity. Have any psych assessments been done on this kid?

Yeah there were. But the thing is, do they have iron clad proof that he actually did it? He might not be showing remorse because he didn't do it.

That is what I keep thinking. You can't really feel bad about doing something you didn't do.

That's why I was kind of WTF. They are trying him as an adult, because he is not showing remorse. But how do you show remorse and not admit guilt. It seems to me to be awfully close to punishing him because he is maintaining his innocence.

Keep in mind that not all the details of what happened are published in the newspaper. Most of the details are kept within the Commonwealth's Attorney Office. They wouldn't be prosecuting unless there was sufficient evidence against him.

Has this gone through a preliminary yet?

I thought that for a second, too. But I felt a little naive saying it. If they didn't have the evidence, why would he have been in a facility for the last year? But looking at the justice system, that sounds a little naive, too.

They found the shotgun and the shell casings all with his prints.

Prosecutors have suggested the boy was jealous of Houk and her unborn son. Police had said Jordan hid the weapon under a blanket so Houk's 7-year-old daughter wouldn't see it as he entered her mother's room. Later, authorities say, he threw the spent shell casing along a path on his way to a bus and went to school.

A state trooper testified that tests showed the shell was fired from Jordan's youth-model 20-gauge shotgun.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_1...98-504083.html


also see this link

Dr. Paul Friday, a clinical psychologist, says an 11-year-old with access to a gun took what he calls a simple solution to a complex problem.

"In this particular case, I am sure that Jordan saw himself in an impossible situation with no way out because that's what an 11-year-old brain would do," Friday said.

Prosecutors contend that Brown harbored resentment and felt he was treated unfairly when asked to move out of his room before the birth of his half-brother who was going to be named for his father, Christopher.

http://kdka.com/local/Jordan.brown.case.2.1600462.html

Just keep it even.