Here is a quote from the DA that has appeared in several media outlets: "But Bongivengo said he only had to show that a crime had been committed and that Brown could have committed it." Does this comment bother anyone?? All the DA has to prove is that Jordan COULD have done it. That is not proof...this is saying he COULD not he DID!!! Would you want your child, mother, father, brother, sister, spouse convicted on this basis that they "could" have done something??? Anybody "COULD" have done anything...does that mean you did??? Jordan has NOT been proven guilty nor has there been solid evidence (according to media) that has linked him to the crime. Why does everyone say Jordan did this when it has not been proven????? So what the gun "smelled" like it was "recently" fired???? Him and his dad target paractice so of course it smelled like that. His clothes had gun residue on them...so what!! He could have easily worn dirty clothes to school...afterall he is 11 and I have a pre-teen boy and he does not care if his clothes are clean or not unless I make him wear clean clothes. Most boys & MEN can relate to this when they were this age. Again I will say that there are so many speculations and assumptions. I want to see solid proof and not could have's, might have's, etc..... I have also heard a lot of people say that Jordan's father should get in trouble too for the guns being not locked up in the home with Jordan. Correct me if I am wrong but the victim also lived in that home and she too had 2 small girls in that home so she is equally to blame for negligent parenting. Then the victims daugther said a couple times that nothing happened that morning then they (DA) say she said she heard a noise. My question is why did SHE change her story???? Does Jordan's fate lie with a 7 year old who can't make up HER mind of what happened???? Unfortunately the victim also proved possible negligent the morning of her death by not being up with those kids getting ready for school. One thing is for sure, it was the one who is getting all the blame (Jordan) who made sure the victims daughter got to school on time. How often had that been happening in that home??? Too many people (including the victims family) are jumping the gun here to convict this child and until I see otherwise, he is innocent and I would not want to answer for convicting him otherwise.....not on the "evendence" we have seen through the media. So I guess I am among the group who feels horrible for him and hopes this all gets sorted out before it is too late for him and a terrible mistake is made on his behalf!!!!

Been following this story since Feb. 09 and whether Jordan Brown did or didn't do this has yet to be determined (according to media there seems to be a lot of speculations and assumptions) but we as a society better be VERY afraid when we have state laws (and DA's) that can lock up children this young forever without the chance of ever getting out again. Children this young need help which they will not get in prison. Society, as well as the victim’s, need to remember that these laws also apply to our own children/grandchildren. Don't say it can't happen to your child or your child would not do this or that because if you asked these parents whose children are locked up for life, I am sure they said the same thing. The laws to lock up children under 18 years old in adult prisons need to change NOW!!!!! Children need to be held accountable for their actions but not on an adult level because they are not adults!!! They cannot be deemed adults in one aspect of the law (crime) and not be in another (voting, drinking, joining the military, they even need parent permission to go on a school field trip, etc….). Locking children up in adult prisons is not a life sentence it is a death sentence to these children especially when we have far worse adults out on our streets. Sentencing children under 18 years old as adults and in some cases locking them up forever with no chance of parole is saying that these children are worse then the child molesters living in our neighborhoods, it is saying they are worse than the drunk driving who serves a few years for killing someone while driving drunk, it is saying that they are worse than the drug dealers who return back to their corner, it says that they are worse than the adults who have killed and have gotten only a few years WITH parole. Think about it!!!!

does this mean they'll repeal the statuatory laws anytime soon?

Either this child has a serious personality defect resulting in his asocial behavior or there were some causal factors not discussed in this article, or both. Either way, keeping children in cages for a lifetime is hard to justify, although if the child has an untreatable mental illness it might be unwise to allow him to ever be free and unsupervised in society. But then this country has a penchant for putting people in cages with more people of every age incarcerated then all other developed, democratic nations combined.

I have a question, has anyone actually found out the reason behind such a tradegy, or are we to assume that this child just woke up one morning and was ABLE to get ahold of a SHOTGUN, load it, and the calmly walk down stairs and just pull a trigger, for the heck of it???? This child obviously has some issues that are deep seeded, and needs the opportunity to to rehabilitate, NO im not defending murder, but this is child, and we in the moral standing of humanity, should take a momentary pause and ask why, and what can be done. The jail, is or prison is no place for a child, and even the worst offenders of the moral compass, have the opportunity for a parole, ESPECIALLY ON a FIRST OFFENSE, and never having a brush with the law prior to this, there is something more to this sitution that we know, we need to take the time to find out, then decide.

The comment by Mr Gill is quite correct - these cases are broadly different,as was the almost 17 year old who murdered three members of my family, including my beautiful pregnant 25 year old sister, and only for the "thrill" of it. He plotted it carefully, he was incredibly intelligent, from an excellent home, and he acted alone, not on impulse. These cases widely vary. Victims families of these crimes should be brought fully to the table of this public policy discussion about what to do with about the sentencing issue. Help victims families of these crimes - read more at www.jlwopvictims.org.

Back up the boat a little. This boy's fate is horrible. But to lump together all states that allow some offenders under the age of 18 to be tried as adults is a bit off. What about a 17-year-old gangbanger? A 16-year-old? What is the lowest age at which a person is responsible for a heinous crime? I'm all for restorative justice. But you've overstated your case by using a broad generalization.