# Police: Teens killed man -- just because **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717 "2013-08-20T15:04:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/41 "2013-08-21T01:15:14Z")
The part that always gets me is the inevitable denial that one’s son could do that because he’s such a good boy. It’s become so predictable that it’s a cliché. My teen-aged boy was in more than his share of problems with the police in the day. And I _knew_ my kid. I didn’t know exactly how far he would go to get in trouble. But I knew that there was a period of a few years there where he’d find it if he could. I completely resisted every urge of this mother’s heart to shield him from the consequences of his behavior. He hated me for it. I would be more interested in finding out all the details so I could better direct him and deliver consequences than to protect him from consequences. That was in the hope that he’d never get this far gone because it can happen to the best of people. If I were a praying woman I’d say a prayer every night that every young boy could safely get through those ages from about 13 to about 27. And especially the Black kids because we are losing a whole generation of potential there. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/42 "2013-08-21T01:15:29Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Really this is the best you can do :rolleyes: > . Frankly, I didn’t try very hard. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/43 "2013-08-21T01:16:52Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Monday’s what? Um, I left myself logged in and somebody posted as me? Yeah, let’s go with that old gem. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/44 "2013-08-21T01:37:40Z")
This is all a part of that national conversation we’re supposed to be having that’s too hard to have, isn’t it? You can’t joke it away and you can’t deny it away. There’s blame enough on all sides to stifle a single paragraph. I have no clue how to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/45 "2013-08-21T01:39:57Z")
Um, one of the kids is white, so what does that do for the OP’s thesis. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/46 "2013-08-21T02:10:12Z")
> **[Two men charged with murdering girl, 19, 'told cops they did it because they...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341761/Two-men-charged-murdering-girl-19-told-cops-did-wanted-know-feels-like.html)** > > Jordan Buskirk, 26, and Randall Crosley, 25, from Indiana, face charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to rape Katelyn Wolfe, who was found bound and weighted down at the bottom of lake. > [@](#): > > Court documents state: 'Jordan Buskirk explained that he and Randal Crosley had previous conversations about forcing themselves on a complete stranger for at least a week. > > 'The initial plan was to rape and then murder. Jordan Buskirk explained that it was just something that popped into their heads. He advised that it just crossed their heads to try to do it. > > ‘He explained that they were not targeting Katelyn Wolfe, but they were just going to target somebody. Jordan Buskirk explained that the opportunity was just there for Katelyn Wolfe.’ ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/47 "2013-08-21T02:21:32Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > So apparently, Jones, the driver, breaks down in tears and says he “didn’t pull the trigger” after hearing he’s going to be getting a very long jail sentence. This is how dumb teens can be. If you drive your friend so he can murder someone, what do you expect, six months juvie? I wonder what kind of sentences young accomplices are really getting. We hear on the news about teens being charged as adults, and we see on the cop shows that accomplices get stiff sentences, but is it really happening? A local kid was out after two years. He watched his buddy hit a disabled kid with a hatchet (tried to cut his head off). They left him to die and went home. Two years? ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/48 "2013-08-21T02:26:17Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Um, one of the kids is white, so what does that do for the OP’s thesis. That mother also looks pretty white for a black woman (she’s the mother of the middle kid, not the oldest kid). Looks like a rough day for the OP and his thesis. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/49 "2013-08-21T02:34:22Z")
Ok, forget race then. How large were their ear gauges? ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/50 "2013-08-21T02:47:18Z")
Clearly George Zimmerman was targeting Trayvon Martin because he was a racist. Oh, wait - one of the three guys in this crime was white, and they killed a white guy, so clearly there’s no need to even bring their race into it. Twist, pretzels. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/51 "2013-08-21T02:53:35Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > That mother also looks pretty white for a black woman (she’s the mother of the middle kid, not the oldest kid). Looks like a rough day for the OP and his thesis. A case of diversity failing to enrich? 😃 The point is there are still many things to talk about regarding this issue without it breaking down (almost immediately) into the usual, “Yeah, but what about you?” grade school crap. Talking about race doesn’t automatically have to mean figuring out who’s the problem. Maybe I expect too much. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/52 "2013-08-21T02:59:13Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I wonder what kind of sentences young accomplices are really getting. We hear on the news about teens being charged as adults, and we see on the cop shows that accomplices get stiff sentences, but is it really happening? A local kid was out after two years. He watched his buddy hit a disabled kid with a hatchet (tried to cut his head off). They left him to die and went home. Two years? There’s also a lot of debate about the kids who are lifers in prison for crimes they committed when they were minors. One main argument is kids that are 15-17 are too young to fully understand the implications. But this one was premeditated. I doubt the three kids even thought for one second how the victim’s mother/father/girlfriend/friends would feel when they decided to kill a random person. But that’s their effing problem. For this type of murder, I have no problem with them being tried as adults with the adult penalties on the table. For me, even the driver should get 25 to life, the other two get 50 to life. Send a message on how “cool” murder is. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/53 "2013-08-21T03:11:00Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > That mother also looks pretty white for a black woman I’m not being a smart ass or dispensing my offensive dubious humor, but so did the President’s mother. The[kid appears](http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/20/justice/australia-student-killed-oklahoma/) to be Caucasian to me. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/54 "2013-08-21T03:18:14Z")
A friend of mine who moved from AR to OK made two pertinent observations. He saw virtually no African Americans, and the[legal system has weird shit](http://forums.cnet.com/7723-6130_102-98432/oklahoma-judge-arrested-charged-with-masturbating-in-court/)going on. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/55 "2013-08-21T03:20:00Z")
This has been big in the news over here this week, but I’m honestly surprised it’s got this much press in the US. It’s pretty horrible, but … you’ve got a big country. Aren’t there lots of murders? Anyway, you shouldn’t worry too much about Australian’s getting a bad impression of the US, no matter what Fisher might say. We have our own current brouhaha over a string of murders by [parolees](http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sweeping-changes-to-tighten-states-parole-system-20130819-2s7kh.html) who didn’t get put back in the clink quick enough after exhibiting violent behaviour, so it’s not like we’re currently in a position to blame you guys for behaviour our own mob is exhibiting just as badly. People. Suck. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/56 "2013-08-21T03:33:56Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > This has been big in the news over here this week, but I’m honestly surprised it’s got this much press in the US. It’s pretty horrible, but … you’ve got a big country. Aren’t there lots of murders? > > Anyway, you shouldn’t worry too much about Australian’s getting a bad impression of the US, no matter what Fisher might say. We have our own current brouhaha over a string of murders by [parolees](http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/sweeping-changes-to-tighten-states-parole-system-20130819-2s7kh.html) who didn’t get put back in the clink quick enough after exhibiting violent behaviour, so it’s not like we’re currently in a position to blame you guys for behaviour our own mob is exhibiting just as badly. > > People. Suck. Yes, lots of murders. And parole problems. Consider [Darrell Dennis](http://www.fox16.com/tags/Darrell-Dennis/default.aspx), who murdered a kid while on parole when he should have been serving a great deal of time. There was a great effort to clear out prisons in Arkansas, and it backfired. Are there racial problems in Australia? All I know about it is from the film _The Gods Must be Crazy._ My father was in your country during World War II, working on aircraft radios, and liked it enough that he considered emigrating when Australia was offering a good deal to technical people who would move there. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/57 "2013-08-21T03:38:47Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Are there racial problems in Australia? All I know about it is from the film _The Gods Must be Crazy._ That took place in Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/58 "2013-08-21T03:39:10Z")
Gods Must Be Crazy was set in southern Africa, and starred San peoples. Where does Australia come into it? > **[The Gods Must Be Crazy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy)** > > The Gods Must Be Crazy is a 1980 comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by Jamie Uys. An international co-production of South Africa and Botswana, it is the first film in The Gods Must Be Crazy series. Set in Southern Africa, the film stars Namibian San farmer Nǃxau ǂToma as Xi, a hunter-gatherer of the Kalahari Desert whose tribe discovers a glass Coca-Cola bottle dropped from an airplane, and believe it to be a gift from their gods. When Xi sets out to return the bottle to the go... ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/59 "2013-08-21T03:42:05Z")
Upon reading your link, we have similar problems. Do you guys have states? I thought they were territories. As I wrote, I am ignorant of your country save that my Father liked it, and the Greville family sent Christmas card to my Grandmother with Spring scenes on them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717/60 "2013-08-21T03:43:33Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Gods Must Be Crazy was set in southern Africa, and starred San peoples. Where does Australia come into it? > > [The Gods Must Be Crazy - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy) I am obviously very ignorant of Australia and films. 🙂 I hesitate to point out that the falls should have been a clue. My only defense is that I watched it at a girl friend’s apartment, and I probably had something else on my mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-teens-killed-man-just-because/666717.md?page=4)