How does the PP know that they were in that program at NCCF? There are families living there, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The IFC team works with children from the District of Columbia who have been removed from their birth parents and placed in licensed foster homes in Maryland. The children we serve may have been left home alone or lived in deplorable home conditions; are coping with educational delays and medical neglect; many have been physically or sexually abused, and/or left with unwilling caregivers. Some children have witnessed their parents struggling with drug dependency, domestic violence, or serious emotional limitations that affect their ability to parent safely.

https://nccf-cares.org/foster-care-adoption/

This is so upsetting. The three kids charged with the crime probably never had a decent shot at a decent life. That doesn't excuse their actions, but my god the way we manage our most vulnerable kids in this country is beyond fcked. What chance do they really have?

Someone was murdered and your first reaction is to express sympathy for the murderers?

You lack critical thinking and nuance. I'm sorry you don't see this as an indictment of our youth foster care system. These are teens who don't even have a completely formed frontal lobe yet. That mixed with childhood neglect and trauma -- this is how we end up with the prison industrial complex we have today.

That doesn't mean that they don't know right from wrong or that they shouldn't be punished, but please enjoy your indignation.

So DCUM. Bethesda has a homicide and there’s a six-page thread…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We all have free will. These 3 dudes chose to do what they did. Period. Don't blame "the system" for the choices they made. Don't blame their upbringing. Their upbringing didn't remove their ability to discern right from wrong.

Nevertheless, this is exactly what their court appointed defense teams will rely on as their defendants' "defense".

They'll all get off easier than they should.

The 18 year old who “passed the knife” and seems to have set this whole thing up will get the book thrown at him. The kid who did the stabbing will also get serious time. The kid who turned them in will get reduced charges. Probably 20 years for the first two and 5 for the third.

Yep...as I said they'll all get off easy. That said the third one won't even get 5 years, and honestly I'm not sure he should. He was part of the drug deal, that's it. And he was smart enough to know "hey, if I turn these guys in they'll reduce my sentence" - I don't think he turned them in out of being a good citizen. It was self-preservation. I think he'll get 3 years max. The other two, yeah maybe 20 which is not enough.

Anonymous wrote:We all have free will. These 3 dudes chose to do what they did. Period. Don't blame "the system" for the choices they made. Don't blame their upbringing. Their upbringing didn't remove their ability to discern right from wrong.

Nevertheless, this is exactly what their court appointed defense teams will rely on as their defendants' "defense".

They'll all get off easier than they should.

The 18 year old who “passed the knife” and seems to have set this whole thing up will get the book thrown at him. The kid who did the stabbing will also get serious time. The kid who turned them in will get reduced charges. Probably 20 years for the first two and 5 for the third.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The IFC team works with children from the District of Columbia who have been removed from their birth parents and placed in licensed foster homes in Maryland. The children we serve may have been left home alone or lived in deplorable home conditions; are coping with educational delays and medical neglect; many have been physically or sexually abused, and/or left with unwilling caregivers. Some children have witnessed their parents struggling with drug dependency, domestic violence, or serious emotional limitations that affect their ability to parent safely.

https://nccf-cares.org/foster-care-adoption/

This is so upsetting. The three kids charged with the crime probably never had a decent shot at a decent life. That doesn't excuse their actions, but my god the way we manage our most vulnerable kids in this country is beyond fcked. What chance do they really have?

Three kids from DC with bad parents were placed in a very nice group home facility in Bethesda that provides constant care and therapy and sent to the best public school in the area.

If you are correct that with all of this money and support they “never had a chance” to not turn into murderers then that has pretty serious ramifications for public policy in a number of areas. I am not sure that you are thinking this through, but if you are then you may want to think about the downstream implications of your beliefs because it implies that the following are worthless:

- care and therapy to neglected juveniles
- racially and economically integrating schools

These are all pointless because kids have no chance to overcome circumstances, right?

We all have free will. These 3 dudes chose to do what they did. Period. Don't blame "the system" for the choices they made. Don't blame their upbringing. Their upbringing didn't remove their ability to discern right from wrong.

Nevertheless, this is exactly what their court appointed defense teams will rely on as their defendants' "defense".

They'll all get off easier than they should.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids with the profiles of the accused more often than not have brain damage due to prenatal exposures in utero---mostly alcohol related. With the primary effects being dysmaturity, emotional dysregulation, and an inability to understand cause and effect. Prisons are packed with individuals with that profile. We do not, on the whole, address FASD brain damage within the foster care population and target specific interventions to it. The system's over focus on family reunification---which often returns FASD kids to their equally FASD parents---doesn't help either. By the time kids get to the point of committing a violent crime of this sort---it's too late.

This is a crazy post. You literally know nothing about these people, except that they conspired to rob and attack a drug dealer. Nothing.

+1 why do certain posters conjure up rationales for the actions of criminals? Hmmmmm.

Anonymous wrote:Kids with the profiles of the accused more often than not have brain damage due to prenatal exposures in utero---mostly alcohol related. With the primary effects being dysmaturity, emotional dysregulation, and an inability to understand cause and effect. Prisons are packed with individuals with that profile. We do not, on the whole, address FASD brain damage within the foster care population and target specific interventions to it. The system's over focus on family reunification---which often returns FASD kids to their equally FASD parents---doesn't help either. By the time kids get to the point of committing a violent crime of this sort---it's too late.

This is a crazy post. You literally know nothing about these people, except that they conspired to rob and attack a drug dealer. Nothing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole situation is sad all around. The victim lost his lif over 2 oz of marijuana. So incredibly horrible. The three kids who murdered--- what a waste. A complete and utter waste. What possessed them to behave this way? It's so so frustrating. They had their whole lives ahead of them. They could have made something of themselves with the right guidance. Unfortunately, it seems their life circumstances were not in their favor. It's so frustratingly sad. Just an utter waste.

I am curious why you would believe that “circumstance” inevitably makes someone a murder?

Reread what I wrote. That is your twisted interpretation.

It boggles my mind that you can think this way because it is deeply insulting to the vast majority of people who may have had difficulties in life but you know, never decided to murder someone or associate with and conspire with murderous sociopaths to rob a drug dealer.

Anonymous wrote:This is one reason parents need to be aware. Yes, these kids were in a therapeutic group home. But there are so many "regular" kids in the Bethesda/Potomac area buying drugs in stairwells from people like this. It doesn't take much for illegal drug deals to go bad. And while only one kid stabbed that guy, all three are going to jail for a long time.

All went to Whitman while living in Bethesda. 2 oz was likely not for personal use. And "free" > max profits.

I am cynical about the length of sentences all 3 will face, the one who cut the guy's throat, yes.

The one kid has a father who describes himself as a "public figure" what is the story there? He is also flashing wads of cash on his social media. It says he is/was a doctor, that his kid ended up in a therapeutic group home suggested to me that there are priors.

Sad all around on many levels, selling pot in stairwells to minors, life offers some other choices there too.

One told his uncle very quickly, seems like some conscience still there.

Kids with the profiles of the accused more often than not have brain damage due to prenatal exposures in utero---mostly alcohol related. With the primary effects being dysmaturity, emotional dysregulation, and an inability to understand cause and effect. Prisons are packed with individuals with that profile. We do not, on the whole, address FASD brain damage within the foster care population and target specific interventions to it. The system's over focus on family reunification---which often returns FASD kids to their equally FASD parents---doesn't help either. By the time kids get to the point of committing a violent crime of this sort---it's too late.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole situation is sad all around. The victim lost his lif over 2 oz of marijuana. So incredibly horrible. The three kids who murdered--- what a waste. A complete and utter waste. What possessed them to behave this way? It's so so frustrating. They had their whole lives ahead of them. They could have made something of themselves with the right guidance. Unfortunately, it seems their life circumstances were not in their favor. It's so frustratingly sad. Just an utter waste.

I am curious why you would believe that “circumstance” inevitably makes someone a murder?

Reread what I wrote. That is your twisted interpretation.

NP here, I get what you wrote. Obviously, the saddest part of this tragedy is the man stabbed to death. Three kids, who deserve to serve serious time, is also tragic and upsets me on another level.

I’m glad they caught these three murderers and hope they rot in jail for the rest of their lives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole situation is sad all around. The victim lost his lif over 2 oz of marijuana. So incredibly horrible. The three kids who murdered--- what a waste. A complete and utter waste. What possessed them to behave this way? It's so so frustrating. They had their whole lives ahead of them. They could have made something of themselves with the right guidance. Unfortunately, it seems their life circumstances were not in their favor. It's so frustratingly sad. Just an utter waste.

I am curious why you would believe that “circumstance” inevitably makes someone a murder?

Reread what I wrote. That is your twisted interpretation.

NP here, I get what you wrote. Obviously, the saddest part of this tragedy is the man stabbed to death. Three kids, who deserve to serve serious time, is also tragic and upsets me on another level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The IFC team works with children from the District of Columbia who have been removed from their birth parents and placed in licensed foster homes in Maryland. The children we serve may have been left home alone or lived in deplorable home conditions; are coping with educational delays and medical neglect; many have been physically or sexually abused, and/or left with unwilling caregivers. Some children have witnessed their parents struggling with drug dependency, domestic violence, or serious emotional limitations that affect their ability to parent safely.

https://nccf-cares.org/foster-care-adoption/

This is so upsetting. The three kids charged with the crime probably never had a decent shot at a decent life. That doesn't excuse their actions, but my god the way we manage our most vulnerable kids in this country is beyond fcked. What chance do they really have?

Please. This isn't "The Bicycle Thief" and they weren't stealing food for their families.

Everyone has the power to decide whether or not to

- start taking illegal drugs (yes, illegal if under 18)
- rob a drug dealer (what could go wrong?)
- kill, or participate in the killing, of the drug dealer you are robbing