The nine year old St. John’s boy accused of shooting his father and his father’s friend entered a guilty plea today to negligent homicide.  The unknown details of the case will likely come out during the disposition or sentencing phase of the juvenile proceeding.  This result could be seen as a win/win for the boy and society.  There was a strong possibility that this young boy would be found incompetent to stand trial and in that case he would not be under mandatory treatment by the state/county.  It also appears that the plea includes keeping this young boy out of juvenile detention so that he can receive the treatment he needs.  Story here.  The defense attorneys who worked on this case appear to have done excellent work for this young boy.  No matter what the charges, it is important for juvenile defendants to seek the advice of an attorney prior to appearing in court.

The nine year old St. John’s boy accused of shooting his father and his father’s friend entered a guilty plea today to negligent homicide.  The unknown details of the case will likely come out during the disposition or sentencing phase of the juvenile proceeding.  This result could be seen as a win/win for the boy and society.  There was a strong possibility that this young boy would be found incompetent to stand trial and in that case he would not be under mandatory treatment by the state/county.  It also appears that the plea includes keeping this young boy out of juvenile detention so that he can receive the treatment he needs.  Story here.  The defense attorneys who worked on this case appear to have done excellent work for this young boy.  No matter what the charges, it is important for juvenile defendants to seek the advice of an attorney prior to appearing in court.

Recently an Arizona rancher was found liable for assault and emotional distress but not for civil rights violations in a lawsuit brought by a group of illegal immigrants.  Story here.  Interestingly the group, or their attorney, believes 42 U.S.C. section 1983 liability extends to a private rancher and protection extends to illegal immigrants.  They may have attempted a “tie in” due to the Rancher’s lease arrangement with the federal government regarding federal lands.  Generally, private parties are not subject to section 1983 liability.  For more on civil rights click here.