Convicted of murder at 12, Released at 19… is this a story of redemption?

[ThrobbingHood]

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Jamarion Lawhorn, Kent County's youngest killer at 12 years old, was approved for release from a residential-treatment center by a judge on Monday.

The news was confirmed to Fox 17 by Charlie Clapp, Lawhorn's defense attorney.

Lawhorn was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2014 after stabbing 9-year-old Connor Verkerke to death at a Kentwood playground.

Lawhorn, who turns 19 in a few weeks, earned the release after excelling at Evart Youth Academy, formerly named Muskegon River Youth Home.

https://www.fox17online.com/news/lo...12-years-old-released-from-residential-center

 

[skokiaan]

Lawhorn, who turns 19 in a few weeks, earned the release after excelling at Evart Youth Academy,

he earned it

 

[Killer Instinct]

Lawhorn was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2014 after stabbing 9-year-old Connor Verkerke to death at a Kentwood playground.

 

[ThrobbingHood]

he earned it

The sad thing is, there are millions of kids right now who are in the same situation he was in, who will never get the support and help he needed.

You should watch the videos too. Don’t we want jail to rehabilitate people or just solely punish them?

 

[UncleTomFord15]

The sad thing is, there are millions of kids right now who are in the same situation he was in, who will never get the support and help he needed.

You should watch the videos too. Don’t we want jail to rehabilitate people or just solely punish them?

If someone stabbed your 9 your old son to death, you would be fine if they're out of prison just 7 years later?

Unless it was self defense there no excuse for what he did.

 

[Da_Eggman]

Stabbed a kid to death at 11

 

[Da_Eggman]

And he just randomly stabbed the little kid up he should never set foot out of jail again da fukk

thats rough but the kid grandma is behind him so I guess they are stronger than me

 

[ThrobbingHood]

If someone stabbed your 9 your old soon to death, you would be fine if they're out of prison just 7 years later?

Unless it was self defense there no excuse for what he did.

I don’t know, I don’t do hypotheticals. The grandma of the murdered boy has forgiven him though.

 

[Spliff]

It was a suicide attempt.

Stabbed the kid an called the cops himself to come and kill him. Video said he was being abused at home.

Lot of grey area here.

 

[BaltimoreTwilightMarauder]

They better watch this niqqa.

 

[murksiderock]

If someone stabbed your 9 your old soon to death, you would be fine if they're out of prison just 7 years later?

Unless it was self defense there no excuse for what he did.

And he just randomly stabbed the little kid up he should never set foot out of jail again da fukk

thats rough but the kid grandma is behind him so I guess they are stronger than me

I know a guy who kidnapped, robbed, and murdered his elderly neighbor when he was 13 in 2003 and is still in prison on a 30-40 year sentence; just looked him up and his current projected release date is 2041 when he'll be 51 years old, thats 38 of the 40 years served if he gets out then...

They locked up a 13-year old and took his entire life from him but I assume yall would find that to be a just punishment?

I don't feel like anyone under the age of 18 should be sentenced to more than 20 years, don't really care what they did. Yes, there's a possibility if some 17-year old murdered my 9 year old I'd find 20 years light, but I went to prison at 17 and met too many guys like myself who were teenage offenders sent to the big yards. These guys I've seen derided as "demons" on here are still kids, and you see it when you're in the presence of them....

For the record I got a 5-year sentence for burglaries that could have been knocked down to a youthful offender status and sent to a juvenile spot for a year or so, then a juvenile probation, but they went the adult route from the very start. Would it have shaped me differently, I can't say for certain but I can tell you going to prison that young didn't help deter me from a life of crime...

These dudes get sent to prison for longer than they been alive without and never get the chance to develop as real adults. It's unjust and I'm glad they sent this guy to a youth spot and are letting him free. He was 12...

 

[UncleTomFord15]

I know a guy who kidnapped, robbed, and murdered his elderly neighbor when he was 13 in 2003 and is still in prison on a 30-40 year sentence; just looked him up and his current projected release date is 2041 when he'll be 51 years old, thats 38 of the 40 years served if he gets out then...

They locked up a 13-year old and took his entire life from him but I assume yall would find that to be a just punishment?

I don't feel like anyone under the age of 18 should be sentenced to more than 20 years, don't really care what they did. Yes, there's a possibility if some 17-year old murdered my 9 year old I'd find 20 years light, but I went to prison at 17 and met too many guys like myself who were teenage offenders sent to the big yards. These guys I've seen derided as "demons" on here are still kids, and you see it when you're in the presence of them....

For the record I got a 5-year sentence for burglaries that could have been knocked down to a youthful offender status and sent to a juvenile spot for a year or so, then a juvenile probation, but they went the adult route from the very start. Would it have shaped me differently, I can't say for certain but I can tell you going to prison that young didn't help deter me from a life of crime...

These dudes get sent to prison for longer than they been alive without and never get the chance to develop as real adults. It's unjust and I'm glad they sent this guy to a youth spot and are letting him free. He was 12...

Breh, you post some real shyt sometimes but this really isn't it. He took the life of a random elderly neighbor AFTER kidnapping them. Unless it was a neighbor that was abusing him or some shyt that's inexcusable I don't care if your 13 or 33. I see no problem with what happened to him. I've met too many kids growing up that were legit demons (Im not talking trying hard to look cool types, I mean legit demons) to feel sorry for those types.

 

[Jasmine20]

I hope the parents of the murdered child disowned that opp ass grandma

 

[ThaBoyBam]

This kid had a super ducked up life. There’s a episode on home on the crime junkies podcast.

 

[murksiderock]

Breh, you post some real shyt sometimes but this really isn't it. He took the life of a random elderly neighbor AFTER kidnapping them. Unless it was a neighbor that was abusing him or some shyt that's inexcusable I don't care if your 13 or 33. I see no problem with what happened to him. I've met too many kids growing up that were legit demons (Im not talking trying hard to look cool types, I mean legit demons) to feel sorry for those types.

Fair enough, I have no problem with your opinion, I feel it's misplaced...

At 13 you're just not developed enough to be prepared for the consequences if your actions. Neither are you at 14, 15, 16, 17, and honestly not at 18 or 19 either, because out here in the real world most 18-19 year olds aren't supporting themselves, most of them still associate with teenage peer groups because they just left high school, etc...

We all know that despite the American ideology, 18-19 year olds are not adults. Very, very few of them live as such, speak as such, move as such...

At 13 he had no shot. His background is secondary to me because I think his age should be the primary factor, but we were in the hole together one year and he told me he never knew his dad, and him and his sister were in and out of foster care because his mom was an addict. When she was well she got them back, when she was on the shyt again they went back in. He was in foster care when he killed that lady...

So he had a shytty background AND he was only 13. Im not advocating for no punishment, but 40 years is excessive, the reality is he wasn't a 33-year old man who killed this woman...