http://news.yahoo.com/texas-teen-sentenced-life-prison-killing-6-yr-215745161.html


Holder pleaded guilty to the murder of Alanna Gallagher, who was found bound in duct tape and with a plastic bag over her head. Prosecutors said they had DNA evidence linking him to the crime.

He also pleaded guilty to arson for setting fire to the home of the victim's family and with attempted capital murder for shooting at a police officer trying to arrest him.





I wonder what was going on in his mind or what 'set him off', he will have plenty of time in jail to think about it though,, another lost youth



tragic,,,not as tragic as being buried, but tragically a loss just the same,,,

Another thug goes to prison.

By the way, the idea that the thug is a "youth" is an artificial social construct. Physically, he was an adult at the time that he committed his crimes.

no offense, but Im more and more certain that you have not raised anyone up from birth,,,


he was young enough (17) to still be changing and learning and absorbing at a much more exponential rate than you or I or 'adults' in their thirties or forties, he was much more dependent upon the guidance and support of more knowledgable and experienced 'adults' than you or I or other 'adults' would normally be

he was very much a 'youth' in his life experience and knowledge, and now his ability to gain that experience and knowledge is stripped away due to the choice he made

That will come as a surprise to my son.

so you no longer considered your son young at 17? when he was still in high school, dependent upon you for his basic needs?

you truly considered him 'adult'?


well, I stand corrected,, and slightly weirded out,,,

i moved out at 13 , if i would have killed someone or something , i would have been held acountable for it <shrug>

and I would have felt it tragic in your case too, to have your potential future of knowledge and improvement ended


and I would and do feel that though you moved out, you were still a youth and a young person,, and possibly unusually self sufficient,, but a teen youth just the same,,,

recent studies say that our brain works up to full capacity until we are ~24 years old, after that we need more time to learn new things. in the case of this young fellow it is good that he was caught right away. The poor 6 yr old wouldnt have been his last victim. A lot of killers begin to experiment at the age of young manhood.
a couple of years back his lawyer could have gone for the insanity plea, he would never have left a mental institution, but he would have lived.

what are the chances for a 18 yr. old, who killed a 6 year old girl in the american jail system?

First of all, you accused me of never raising anyone up from birth, which is a false accusation.

Second, I referred to a person's physiological age, not legal age of accountability.

The former is controlled by Nature. The latter has varied from era to era and from culture to culture.

The issue is whether or not a person age 17 knows right from wrong, knows whether or not his actions are legally permissible or illegal.

The convicted thug mentioned in the OP knows right from wrong, knows whether or not his actions are legally permissible or illegal. He had that knowledge at the age of 17, knowledge that adults have.

Yet, he wasted his life by choosing to commit crimes.

don't get me wrong, I get and agree that he needed to be 'caught'

it is what happens after that which is tragic in relation to how what happened BEFORE it might have changed things

I understand that he will be in prison, and I understand this is protective of others, but I also understand the tragedy of how he has now also lost HIS life,, at an age where he may have still had opportunity to gain knowledge and experience to learn who he wanted to be, and what kind of life he wanted to live

I have read that the justice system is particularly brutal for anyone committing crimes against children,,,

He didn't lose his life. He threw it away by choosing to commit felonies.

I was more and more certain, but that didn't mean I could know for sure,,so it wasn't an accusation, it was a personal perspective based upon your opinions,,

the point , that is being missed obviously, was not about physicological or cultural or knowing right from wrong

the point was that at the points in our life CLOSER to our birth, when we are still learning and growing and trying to define who we want to be, it is tragic if anything disrupts that NATURAL process into becoming mature or 'adult' enough to know who we are and have gone through the trial and error to understand fully actions and consequences and self sustenance

I certainly consider NOONE that is still dependent upon adults for basics and in high school an 'adult', as it relates to THIS CULTURE and THIS POINT IN TIME

however, I believe this is just a matter of cultural value and difference

i get what u are saying. but if i would have been the dad of this young girl...the prison walls could not stop, to rip this teen apart myself.
it is wrong for me to say or write that, but i do not have any empathy for this boy. i would love to know about his childhood and his personality. i wonder if he really knew what he did, while he was doing it.

In Texas a 17 y/o is considered an adult. They should have cranked up ol' Sparky for him.

whatever dodo,,lol

yeah, he lost it or 'threw it away', through poor choices

but its still gone


and because of his age and potentially his inexperience and immature development, to me, that is particularly tragic,,

everyone has a story

I would likewise understand the human reaction to such a terrible act of violence, the desire and impulse for revenge

I would hope for that more rare reaction that people from time to time have had, of realizing that this is yet someone elses child too, that will suffer a loss, and seeking justice with compassion and empathy,,,

Good decision,,,
treat them same as they treat others..
god bless d soul of that young girl.
an eye for an eye...
these type of decision are good examples of law or judicial system to show young people's that their ill behaviour will not be forgiven by law.
harshest to harshest punishment should be given to these psychos living in society.
RIP

This is the face of an adult, not a child.
I consider it wrong to deny an adult male his adulthood.

I consider it wrong to claim someones facial features defines how adult they are,,lol

to me, it looks like the face of a young person who has not taken care to shave or trim his hair,,lol

to each their own

if they are in high school, or recently out of high school, still a teen, still totally dependent upon the financial support of parents for their basics

they are not an 'adult'

As I mentioned earlier, the legal definition of "adult" has varied from era to era and from culture to culture. The definition isn't based on physical maturity.