10 held in beating death
TV ClubHouse: Archives: 10 held in beating death
Whowhere | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 09:45 am     Nine boys and one adult are in custody after the savage beating of a 36-year-old Milwaukee man who died Tuesday evening. Among those prosecutors expect to charge with murder in adult court is a 10-year-old boy, who could be the youngest person ever prosecuted as an adult in Wisconsin. here's the whole story.... http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/oct02/84237.asp what is wrong with these kids?? |
Gail | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 10:08 am     I think on the news they were saying up to 16 kids were involved with this. This started with one of them throwing an egg at the man and him punching one of them and then they all ganged up on him and beat him and hit him with brooms and bats. I can't even imagine how his family must feel. |
Crazydog | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 11:22 am     This is a really sad story. I don't think it was right for the man who got egged to punch a kid in the mouth, but it certainly did not warrant a gang mentality approach to beat him to death. I hope those kids get what they deserve and I can't help but feel like their parents are partly responsible. Here in Illinois some time back I believe a van went out of control and hit three people sitting on a porch of a house (one of whom died). I think the two men in that van were pulled out of the van and beaten to death. Very sad cases. |
Kaili | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 01:41 pm     Ahh...that is exactly why I don't go to Milwaukee even though it's only about 80 miles away. It's sick, sad and the fact is that stuff like this happens all the time there. Not necessarily with kids that young or on that large of a scale but Milwaukee is pretty violent. I just wonder if there was ANYBODY around that could have done ANYTHING to help. |
Ladytex | Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 08:55 pm     yes, he went into a house and they pulled him back out. this is absolutely horrifying. |
Sia | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 05:03 am     I'll sound incredibly naive, but I have never thought of Wisconsin as having crime problems. Obviously, I've never been there. I have an image of it as a pastoral, lush rolling landscape dotted with cows and populated with peaceful people who make cheese. I need to wake up from the dream I'm living and realize that crime touches every part of the country--of the world, for that matter.  |
Kaili | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 02:02 pm     Sia, Wisconsin is weird. Very divided. It's all about the larger cities though, like with most anywhere else. Southeast Wisconsin along Lake Michigan (Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha) is a relatively dirty area. It's grown so that it basically blends into Chicago (if you drive from Milwaukee to Chicago you will see very little rural area). I grew up in Racine, which is about 20 minutes south of Milwaukee. We had the Milwaukee gangs fighting with the Chicago gangs and we were mid-way in between. Madison- central/southern Wisconsin- is starting to have more crime but as the capitol and the home of the main UW Sysem school, it's more of a party town than anything else. Most parts of the state however have smaller cities (50-70,000 people) that are much less crime filled. I live near Green Bay sort of (I live on Lake Winnebago- the big lake south of Green Bay)- this area (Appleton/Oshkosh/Fond du Lac) is pretty safe. I don't really remember the last murder here, but whenever it was most likely it was some sort of domestic thing- not a random killing. Most of Wisconsin is rural and most towns are closer to 10-20,000 or smaller. When I drive up north to see my mom I drive east to west across the state on Hwy 29, which is the boundary of what is called "up north". On the way I pass through one city and the rest of the 2 hours across is cows and farms. The Milwaukee area is the only real "bad" part of the state, although that area does have a lot of good stuff going for it like any other larger metro area. |
Rig | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 03:09 pm     Kaili, there are two big parties in Madison: The Republican party and the Democratic party. This city is all about politics - at least in the realm of government and business leaders. I agree, though, about there being lots of parties of another kind. Especially on friday and saturday nights. |
Kaili | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 06:44 pm     LOL- haven't been down there for awhile...usually my main mission when I do go is all about fajitas at Pedros with those tasty tortillas that they make! Wisconsin politics...haha. If you are from Wisconsin, which I am assuming you must be, did you happen to hear that campaign ad put out by McCallum's people before the primary? The "Three Blind Mice" radio ad about Doyle, Falk, and Barrett? Anyway, back on topic... Here is a new article. If you read nothing else, at least read the part that I put in bold print. 10-year-old charged with second-degree reckless homicide in beating death The 10-year-old boy accused of participating in the mob beating of a 36-year-old man was charged today with second-degree reckless homicide in Milwaukee County Children's Court. Seven other juveniles, as young as 13, were charged with first-degree reckless homicide. The second-degree charge against the 10-year-old will keep him from being prosecuted as an adult, but the others will be tried in adult court. Two young adults in the case weren't expected to be charged today, and police said they were looking for three more suspects. The 10-year-old boy allegedly participated in the Sunday night attack on Charlie Young Jr. from its beginning near a porch at 2125 W. Brown St. to its bloody and fatal conclusion on another on 2021 N 21st Lane, about a block away. The beating left Young brain dead, and he died Tuesday after being removed from life support. The boy's father said police had bungled the investigation of Young's death from the beginning and defended both of his sons, ages 10 and a 16, who were arrested in the case. "They got this thing all fouled up," the boy's father said outside the courtroom Thursday. "They're making a butcher out of a 10-year-old boy and a group of boys." The father said the real culprit in Young's murder was a 32-year-old man who bragged about hitting the victim in the back of the head with a pole. The father said police were searching for that man. "Kids are going to be kids. They're being rolled up and they don't know what's happening," his father said. Also at the children's court center, the 10-year-old boy's sister said it would have been an injustice to make him the youngest person ever tried as an adult in the country. "If a grown man can't deal with prison, how can a 10-year-old?" the sister asked shortly before the hearing began. "He's not a monster. He's a 10-year-old little boy." Waiting for the court hearings to begin, other relatives also defended the youths accused of participating in the mob attack on Young. An 18-year-old woman, sister of two suspects, said Young himself had instigated the fight that led to his death. Several of the juveniles arrested in the case told police Young had threatened one of the group with a knife and punched a 14-year-old in the mouth, knocking out a tooth, in response to being hit with an egg thrown by the 10-year-old. She also said the media and authorities unfairly portrayed the parents of the boys as villains. "People don't give credit to the mother who's a hard-working parent and a single parent." the woman siad. She said her mother has raised seven children by herself, suffered abuse and worked hard to earn money for the family. The sister of the 10-year-old said her parents also worked hard at raising their sons and were grieving for Young. She also said her young brother did not participate in the attack and that his confession had been coerced by police who intimidated him by pounding on the table and walls of the interrogation room. She said the allegations against all of the children were suspect in her mind. "Those children didn't mean for this to happen," she said. "I know that in my heart." Also on Thursday, police and fire investigators were investigating arson as the possible cause of a fire Wednesday night at 2125A W. Brown St., where the 32-year-old suspect lived. His landlord, Gerard Johnson, said he knew the man only as Tony, and that he had not been seen in the house for a day or two. The fire completely destroyed the house. |
Kaili | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 06:49 pm     And one other article... Victim's response to egging prompted beating, boys say- Youths tell police they were angry at Young's overreaction By JAMAAL ABDUL-ALIM To the boys accused of bludgeoning him to death, four-time felon Charlie Young Jr. was known as "380" or "June." Based on detailed statements police say some of the boys gave, none of the boys had any problem with Young, 36, and they were hanging out with him at a house on W. Brown St. for at least part of Sunday evening. But around 10 p.m., one of them - a 13-year-old nicknamed "Bump" - objected to how Young intruded on a game of insults between Bump and his girlfriend and "started ribbing on everybody." That's when Bump threw an egg that might as well have been a bombshell. When the egg hit Young, it apparently set into motion events that led to the brutal mob killing that has garnered Milwaukee nationwide publicity and left at least 15 Milwaukee youths - including a 10-year-old boy - facing expected homicide charges. Exactly what happened after the egg hit Young has yet to be determined. At least one witness and several alleged participants have given slightly varying accounts to police. But they all seem to agree that the boys were angry at Young because they thought he overreacted to the egg attack. According to the boys' statements, an intoxicated Young chased Bump down the street after being hit in the shoulder with the egg. He caught Bump, pushed him from behind and knocked him to the pavement. Some witnesses said Young kicked the boy. Moments later, a 14-year-old became involved in the confrontation with Young. Again the accounts differ, with one witness saying the 14-year-old threw a stroller into Young. Whether provoked or not, Young flashed a knife - described as either a box cutter, switchblade or steak knife - at the 14-year-old, several of the boys and a witness said. The boy tried to disarm Young, according to some witnesses. And the boy later told police that Young "almost stabbed him in the stomach." One account holds that Young left the area briefly, then returned and punched the 14-year-old in the mouth, knocking him unconscious and dislodging a tooth. Other witnesses said the fight continued without interruption. Young then ran away with the boys in pursuit. As he sought safety in the neighborhood, the youths, including some members of a street gang called the 2-3 Mob, gathered up other kids in the neighborhood. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Young managed to hide in a nearby field or empty lot. Again, the accounts vary. The hunt and chase went on for some time, up to 45 minutes, according to one account. Some suggest the boys saw Young moving toward a duplex on N. 21st Lane; others that the group waited for him there. At some point, a witness at the duplex said, Young came running toward the residence screaming for help, the boys close behind. Young forced his way inside Anthony Brown's residence at 2021 N. 21st Lane, where he would ultimately be bludgeoned to death. "Drag him outside. Drag him outside," a 13-year-old boy said outside the home. "That's wrong for him to hit the . . . (14-year-old) in the mouth." Brown told a reporter Tuesday that he tried to save Young, but several of the boys disputed that claim. According to a witness who was upstairs in the building, the boys all struck Young with all sorts of weapons - a mop handle, a shovel and a tree limb - approximately 50 or 60 times. One of the boys even put Young in a wrestling hold, apparently so others could get better shots at Young's head with their various weapons. By the end, part of Young's left ear was severed. Bump said he hit Young once across the back with a broomstick before the rest of the group started beating him, because he was mad about having been pushed down by Young, and about his friend's tooth. He said he just wanted Young to "feel some pain." Police records show Engine 35 was dispatched to the duplex for a "man down" call at 11:33 p.m., after someone called 911, and arrived four minutes later. The first officer on the scene arrived at 11:43 p.m., the records show. By that time, the mob had dispersed, leaving the bloody weapons not far from Young, who was unconscious on the blood-spattered porch. According to one witness, the 14-year-old with the missing tooth returned to the porch twice and pummeled or stomped on Young again. Tom Held of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. |
Rig | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 08:45 pm     After reading those articles, I'm just speechless! Those boys acted like they were playing - but they were commiting a heinous crime! They must all have no conscience, no concept of right and wrong, nothing but selfishness inside them. What should be done? Throw them all in prison? Should everybody start carrying guns? I just don't know. |
Rig | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 09:01 pm     Here is another article - very disturbing: (I apologize for the length, but I don't know how to do a link) MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Seven boys accused of beating a man to death with sticks, shovels, broomsticks and even a folding chair were charged as adults Thursday with first-degree reckless homicide. Another boy, 10, was charged as a juvenile with second-degree reckless homicide. Three other boys were ordered detained. Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann said two adults also were in custody, and police were searching for three more suspects. Authorities say the boys were part of a mob of young people that hunted down Charlie Young Jr. and brutally beat him on the porch of a home where he sought to escape them Sunday night. Young died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to a criminal complaint. The seven boys charged as adults were Marlin A. Dixon, 14; his brother, Don Dixon, 13; Artieas Shanks, 13; Lee Mays, 16; his brother Kenny Mays, 13; Montreon Jordan, 15; and Devin Beamon, 16. The charge filed against them in Milwaukee County Circuit Court Thursday carries a prison term of 60 years. All except Don Dixon and Shanks were ordered held on $100,000 bail. They were ordered held on $50,000 bail. Police say the violence started when Shanks threw an egg at Young. Young then struck Marlin Dixon in the mouth, knocking out a tooth. In their statements, most of the boys said Young threatened them with some sort of knife, either a switchblade, kitchen knife or box cutter. That prompted a growing group to go after Young in retaliation, beating him unconscious. Young died Tuesday after he was taken off life support. Prosecutors said the 10-year-old was not charged with the more serious offense because they didn't believe a 10-year-old is capable of understanding the possible consequences of his actions. Judge Tim Witkowiak ordered the boy detained in a juvenile facility. The 10-year-old's lawyer, Craig Mastantuono, said the boy should be released to his parents because he has a stable home and has been attending school. "He is in fourth grade judge," Mastantuono said. "Judge, he can't drive a car. I doubt that he is a flight risk at all." Mastantuono said he plays on the elementary school football team, has improving grades and he has no prior record. He said the statements were not trustworthy because his parents or lawyer weren't there when investigators interrogated him. But the judge said "the boy should be kept in detention based on the extreme violence alleged in the petition." Assistant District Attorney Joy Hammond said he participated in the attack from beginning to end and reportedly told another boy, "'we went back and beat him some more."' The 10-year-old said in his statement to police that he hit Young with a stick, a milk crate and a pole during the beating. He said his clothes and shoes were bloody afterward. The boy made one brief remark after his lawyer said he was invoking the boy's right to remain silent and asked him to repeat it to the court. The boy, who just turned 10 in July, said, "I don't wanna talk to no police officers." Both his parents were in court Thursday. He glanced at them once shortly after being led into court by a sheriff's deputy. His 16-year-old brother also has been arrested in the case. In the days since Sunday's beating, the youths' statements to police shed some light on the group. Five of their fathers are dead. Shanks' father is in prison. Marlin Dixon is a father himself. Most of the boys have criminal histories _ everything from curfew violations to possession of cocaine and a 9mm handgun. Their statements reveal most of the boys grew up in the neighborhood where the beating occurred. Some belonged to the "Deuce-Deuce" gang, whose name comes from the North 22nd Street that runs through their northside Milwaukee neighborhood. Two of the teens said they participated in the attack because they were scared of being later accosted by the group. The 10-year-old's half-sister said her brothers sneaked out Sunday night because they were bored and wanted to hang out with friends. "All they have is to hang on the streets," she said. She's afraid her brother will be sent to prison. "If a grown man can't handle being in prison, how can a 10-year-old with the mentality of a 10-year-old handle being in prison for 10 or 20 years?" she said. "He's not a monster. He is a 10-year-old boy." Lee Mays' statement reveals the 16-year-old can read and write only a little. He said he is not attending school, because his mother does not know where to send him. He printed his name on the police statements with big, block letters. Beamon said he held the already bloody Young in a wrestling move he learned on Smackdown Wrestling, called a "cripple cross face hold," so the others could beat Young in the face. Marlin Dixon told police one of the boys involved told him to go home and have his mother take him to the hospital. In his statement, he said his mother called police, then told him she had to go to work and would take him to the hospital the next day. Shanks, nicknamed "Bump," told police he hit Young once with a broomstick before the group beating began because he was mad at Young for pushing him down and knocking out his friend's tooth. He also did it because he wanted Young "to feel some pain," his statement said. During the beating, Shanks' mother called him home, telling him, "If I see you on the corner with that group of guys again, I'll hurt you seriously," his statement said. In an interview with The Associated Press, Louise Shanks said her 13-year-old son plays basketball on his school's team and likes to play PlayStation 2. "He was sorry. He didn't know they were going to do all that to the man," Louise Shanks said. "He's scared. He knows what he did ain't right." |
Kaili | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 09:47 pm     That's just amazing. All of these articles are. I know people are turned off by long text with no breaks but try to get through that one... I just don't get it- the parents, the kids... all I can say is that I'm glad I had a better life than that and I really feel sorry in a way for these kids. Not for what they did but for how they live. What a way to grow up! Still, I believe that people are born good and it just doesn't take that much to realize that beating a man to death is not the "right" thing to do. Yeah, family and environment plays a role but 10 yrs old or 50- how can you not distinguish the line of going WAAAAY too far?! Maybe a 10 yr old would get pulled into this type of behavior, especially considering his brother was a part of it too. But brush it off as his family seems to think should be done...no way. What should be done? I have no idea. Generally I don't think prison situations help, especially for kids. Often they expose them to worse criminals and make them do worse later in life. Not that they have good lives now, but these kids won't be helped by this. Their behavior probably won't change. Leave them with their parents? I know putting kids into the foster care system is also often a negative thing. Not that they are getting much from their parnts based on the article Rig posted. Counseling? They still go home to that same life. Aside from some new solutions and some major adjustments to the current ones, I just don't know... |
Misslibra | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 10:14 pm     Very sad story. I think the kids should get what ever the law say they should get. And for the parents that were suppose to be parents to these kids should have to pay some kind of money to the victims family. The judge would have to decide on how much that would be. And that neighborhood should form a block club or something to help keep an eye on kids that are running around without parent supervision. Get some mentors in there to help with those kids and young people in that neighborhood. It very sad when it takes a situation like this for people to open there eyes and see some of the youth of today are in serious trouble. Especially when they have no after school activities, or adults in charge of their children. |
Sia | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 11:23 pm     My eyes have certainly been opened. I didn't account for the proximity of Milwaukee to Chicago; the urban sprawl accounts for the gangs and gang-mentality. This story makes me realize just how prevalent violence is in our society. We're a developed nation and have so many resources--look at what was donated to 9/11 victims' families--but we don't allocate those resources in the best way sometimes, do we? What efforts are being made to clean up our mean streets in dirty cities? |
Zachsmom | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 11:46 pm     "What efforts are being made to clean up our mean streets in dirty cities? " It's very sad..but it seems absolutely nothing.. I would like to know why children were out at that time of evening on a SCHOOL night? They should have been in bed (I am a strong believer in children getting their 8-10 hours of sleep per night..how else are they supposed to learn in school?) The parents have a whole lot of responsiblity in this.. a whole lot!! |
Sia | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 04:11 am     Zachsmom, the unenforced curfew and having kids running around outdoors at all hours was a concern voiced in the news coverage I've seen of this story. You do wonder how those children survive their upbringing--or the lack thereof. I don't know the answers; I don't even know where to start. I live in a village of maybe a couple hundred people at most, and the neighboring village probably doesn't have even 2000 pop., but you see kids uptown hanging around smoking on street-corners very late at night every night of the week; on weekends it's even worse. I avoid driving the main drag on the weekend and even take the country way home from my folks' house if I think of it in time to catch the right road just to avoid this. Yes, the bigger village has a police department, but the things written up in the local department are ludicrous regarding the types of calls they get. People call to report barking dogs, and cows out on the highway, yet ignore business break-ins and fights on the streets. Are we getting too afraid to get involved? |
Resortgirl | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 04:33 am     Sia, we live in an area much like yours. Our children go to the school in a town of 300 and the neighboring community is about 2700. And our police get those same kind of calls, horse in road, barking dogs, ect. They also do get the break-in or fighting calls. I think the biggest issue with our teens is there is NOTHING for them to do here. We don't have a place for them to congregate except the streets or parks. We have a no loitering policy in our downtown area which is the subject of much debate. But where do we want these kids to go? As a community we should offer a safe, fun atmosphere for them to enjoy. We have always let our children bring their friends here... we have a game room and a beach with a fire ring and it's nice to be able to have them here under our "watchful" eye. I wish I had a better answer for our youth... |
Sia | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 06:07 am     Fun, heck, RG! Our parents' generation didn't have any "fun" activities provided for them! They worked their buns off doing farm chores and didn't have the leisure time or disposable income that would have allowed them to get into trouble. We've gotten too soft and are giving some of our kids too much--while ignoring others. I'm not a socialist by any means, but we do seem to be far from the mark when it comes to instilling a work ethic and appropriate morals and values in our youth. I don't know how to make the pendulum swing the other way. RG, I'm with you on having my kids' friends over. I don't think I'll ever be able to let my kids go play at other kids' homes, not knowing if they keep their guns safely locked away, if their parents are abusive alcoholics or psychopathic killers, etc. I know, I'm overprotective! I can't help it.  |
Myjohnhenry | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 08:40 am     I spent majority of my growing up years (and I am no spring chicken) in small "towns" (rural america no less) as well and even back then there were kids ignoring curfews, hanging out on the street corners or in less visible locations, and drinking,drugging, fighting, etc. My parents were very strict...we were not out on the streets, had curfews, and my parents preferred to open our home rather than us going anywhere. I do tend to think there is less parental involvement and too much freedom given to more kids all the time, but this is no new phenomenon...we just hear more and more of these types of incidents as well as other crimes (when in some cases the actual numbers of incidents have gone down). I personally think parents need to parent and to be held accountable for their role. (And Sia...I am often "accused" of being overprotective...at least I know where my kid is, am teaching her safety as well as keeping her as safe as I can until she can take care of herself. I had a therapist tell me that one cannot "parent"/take care of themselves until they are parented (including allowing themselves to be parented).) |
Whit4you | Friday, November 08, 2002 - 06:41 pm     What's happening in this story? I've heard nothing at all since the first few days. |
|