4-Year Old Commits Murder..

[kevin922 0]

Well this is just discouraging.. back home (Mississippi) the local newspaper is reporting:

here that

Girl, 4, suspect in killing

Father speculates jealousy led to assault on child's brother

By Jerry Mitchell
jmitchell@clarionledger.com
and Thyrie Bland
tbland@clarionledger.com

Jackson police believe one of the city's latest homicides was committed by a 4- year-old, perhaps Mississippi's youngest killer ever.

"I can't think of any case where a suspect was 4," said Jackson police spokesman Robert Graham. "We're consulting with the district attorney's office and trying to decide what steps to take next."

The state Department of Human Services has intervened in the case in which authorities say the 4-year-old girl beat her 2-month-old brother, Alfred Griffin Jr., to death.

Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said an autopsy showed Alfred died of multiple skull fractures, and he had abrasions, bites and scratches on his face.

She found injuries consistent with the baby's head being hit with a brick.

The child's 22-year-old father, Alfred Griffin Sr., said he found the baby unconscious sometime before 1 a.m. Monday.

"I saw the bite marks on his jaw," Griffin said. "I put him up to me and he wasn't breathing. I just panicked and started hollering."

Griffin said that on Tuesday the state Department of Human Services came to the house he shares with his fiancee, Felicia Jackson, and took custody of the 4- year-old and three other children, ages 6, 7 and 9.

"I was crying. They were crying," Griffin said.

Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson said the killing was "extremely violent and suspicious behavior for a child."

"My first question in this case is, 'So what's been going on in the household?' " she said.

DHS officials are investigating if there was any neglect in the household or if there was a failure to monitor children, she said.

Griffin said the children were sleeping in the living room of their house at 6583 George Washington Drive when he went to bed Sunday night. His fiancee was not at home.

Griffin said he got up later to change the baby's diaper and found that his son was not breathing.

His 9-year-old step-son told him he had tried to wake Griffin up because the 4- year-old had been bothering the baby, he said.

Griffin said he woke the children's grandmother, who also lives in the home, and they called 911.

What could possibly prompt a child so young to commit such a violent act is left to speculation.

Griffin said his 4-year-old daughter may have been jealous of the baby.

Griffin said his daughter sometimes gave him menacing looks when he played with the infant. "All new and young parents should watch for these things," he said.

He also said he remembers her reaction when he brought home a stroller and play pen for the baby.

"She said, 'You didn't buy these things for me,' " Griffin said. "What she was telling me, that hurt. I wasn't able to do that with her."

Peterson questioned where a 4-year-old could learn such violent behavior. "It may have been something the 4-year-old saw on TV," she said.

"I don't believe a child naturally grows that way, actually kills so young. I'm just shocked by it."

Chester Quarles, professor of criminal justice at the University of Mississippi, also wonders about influences.

"In all probability, the 4-year-old had been exposed to violence and was acting out what (she) had observed during (her) short lifetime," he said.

Peterson said it's too early to tell whether criminal charges, such as neglect, will ever be filed against any adults. "We may or may not be able to charge anyone," she said.

Under the law, prosecutors are barred from prosecuting any child under 10 because children are unable to appreciate the fact they've committed a crime.

"Generally, (competency) is an issue for children," Peterson said. "They're still living in the world of fantasy."

Experts say there have been killings committed by children as young as 4, but such cases are extremely rare.

In Flint, Mich., in 2000, a 6-year-old fatally shot a female classmate a day after the two had fought on the playground. The child was believed to be the youngest murder suspect in Michigan history.

The 6-year-old was never charged, but the adult from whom he had gotten the gun was later convicted of criminal negligence.

Later that year, an 11-year-old boy in Pontiac, Mich., was charged with killing an 18-year-old, making him one of the youngest people in U.S. history charged as an adult with first-degree murder.

While it seems there are more news stories lately on children killing children, Jack Levin, director of Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Violence, said statistics show no increase in killings by children under 14.

"The entire increase that we saw in the murder rate attributable to juveniles has been an increase in teenage murderers," he said. "Below 14, there's been no increase at all."

But there's no question a 4-year-old who expresses his anger in such deadly fashion needs profound therapy, he said.

"Where does that come from?" he asked. "It could be faulty wiring, or it could be a terrible experience in early childhood."

The question about such treatment is how effective it would prove, he said. "This extreme loss of temper is so rare we don't really have a track record to deal with it effectively."

[Guest]

I've heard of sibling rivalry, but this is ridiculous.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[AggieDave 6]

WTF? Why was a 4 year old left alone with a 2 year old? Jesus, I'm only 22 and that makes sense to me...maybe its time to give the parents a swift kick to the head...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[kevin922 0]

Quote

WTF? Why was a 4 year old left alone with a 2 year old? Jesus, I'm only 22 and that makes sense to me...maybe its time to give the parents a swift kick to the head...

It was a 2 MONTH old. and I think they were supposed to be sleeping.

[AggieDave 6]

Ok, 2 month old. Then I'm sure that the poor thing was crying when it happened, so the parents are ignoring their crying 2-month old baby?


Sorry, I just have a soft spot for kids, I love 'em and hate seeing stuff like this.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[wmw999 2,534]

There has to be more to this story. It's possible that the 4-year-old is VERY disturbed, and that the parents are clueless. But if the child is that disturbed, then someone else from outside the family should be able to confirm it, and that would make the parents much closer to criminally clueless.

I'd look for further developments down the line. And if you only have one bedroom for the kids, well, sometime you have to move the baby in with the older kids, and 4 is actually usually safe enough (2, on the other hand, isn't).

Wendy W.
(former child abuse investigator...)

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Meathorse 0]

Can't really be too hard on the parents 'till we know more about the situation, can we? Gotta be tough to always keep an eye on 4 kids. Have to sleep sometime....

[TequilaGirl 0]

I think more will come out down the road - four kids -and 22-year father - and the parents are already being investigated for neglect......

[wildblue 7]

A 22-year old with 5 kids (the oldest being 9), living with his fiancee in her grandmother's house with a fiancee that isn't home at 1am on a Sunday night...
Some people just shouldn't breed....

it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality

[Wavelength 0]

The article mentioned that the 9 year old (at least) was his step-son, and it never mentioned the age of the mother.
Still you're right, they probably shouldn't breed.

[freeflyz 0]

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!!