Thirteen-years-old Peter Barton (not his real name) was playing with a little girl of 6. Claiming that he was pretending to be a professional wrestler, peter punched, kicked and stamped the playmate to death. Her liver was severely damaged; her skull was fractured and the medical experts compared the injuries to a fall from the top of the house. Peter was tried in court as an adult and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole when he is 38.
“What we are dealing with is a new kind of childhood criminal. They are starting younger and they know what they are doing. They won’t think twice about killing” said the Florida State District Adam Emmit. The state of California alone registered 312 homicides committed by minors which must of them were gun-related.
Discussion questions for your comment:
Peter claimed he was pretending to be a wrestler. Could he be saying the truth?
Is it really possible that a 13 year-old boy could intentionally kill a young girl?
Are children the same as they have always been, or are they really different these days?
What do you think about the punishment was given to Peter?
1-Maybe, because he could have mental troubles or something but if he was a normal 13 years old teen I don't think that he had killed that little girl by accident, a normal person of his age wouldn't have done it.
ResponderEliminar2-Yes because as I said he maybe had or has a mental problem or he was just a really violent person.
3-In my opinion they're different nowadays because they have a lot of access to tecnology and especially to t.v. that in most of the channels instead of teaching values teach bad things and as children see all that,and it really get into they're minds making them more spoiled and violent than they were in the past.
4- I don't think that it was fair for him to be judge as an adult because he was not, but if he really knew what he was doing he had to pay for his acts but I think that for life is a lot of time I would have give him 20 years or something like that.In that way he may be able to understand why what he did was wrong and not just sending him to prision for the rest of his life where he has no more chances to recover his life.
Peter claimed he was pretending to be a wrestler. Could he be saying the truth?
ResponderEliminarFor me, he does not tell the truth, because although in these moments, he was a child, also it has a knowledge of the good and of the evil.
Is it really possible that a 13 year-old boy could intentionally kill a young girl?
Intentionally not, because since I have just said it in the previous question, he has knowledge of the good and of the evil, for it, although he is a child, he has a bad character and for his bad quality, it made it attack the evil.
Are children the same as they have always been, or are they really different these days?
They are very different in the bad way, because although the children are guided by good ways, but there are other children who grow up in the aspects of the evil, as it it is now the thefts, and as in this article, the killing.
What do you think about the punishment was given to Peter?
That were exaggerated a little, although also the judges instead of giving life imprisonment, better age to help him mentally with a psychologist, because he can take it to mental problems.
ANSWERS:
ResponderEliminar1. I think that it depends in the way that you see it, because in one hand I don’t think that a person who is thirteen years old can’t control himself and realize that he can kill the girl because he is stronger than her and she only is six years old, even when he is just playing or practice to be a wrestler. And in the other hand maybe he is telling the truth because he honestly doesn’t want to hurt her and what happened there was an accident and he doesn’t realize that he was truly hurt her.
2. Maybe, because I can’t believe that a person even when is thirteen years old can’t think to take the life of other person and less when is a small girl, but everything is possible so I can really sure about if he really want to kill her or it was an accident.
3. I think that these changes depends because if you grow in a place where there’s no violence, drugs, where your family is full of love, communication, trust you’re going to be a good person you know that take the bad way is not an option and when it is you know that you don’t have to take it. But if your family has problems, drugs, your parents never are for you maybe you’re going to think that the solution is get into drugs, use the violence, because you are full of hate and resentment. However these things can happened but not always so I think that other reason why the children are not the same is of the television because most of the time you only see programs that show lots of violence and other ideas that are not good but the children think on it so they’re going to use it in their lives because for them all these things are right.
4. I think that if he is guilty the punishment was right because anybody has the rights to take other human’s life the only one that can do that is God, but I think that maybe they (the people who punish him) can use a machine to find if the child is telling the truth or not before that they will make a decision.
1. Maybe he was saying the truth but it is not logical that one guy of 13 years old can not think about the consequences of his acts, he has to have some mental diseases because it is the only logical reason, but it says that he was tried in court as an adult, so if the court judge him like an adult is because he is a normal person.
ResponderEliminar2. Intentionally maybe not, because he was playing with her and if he does it is because the little girl accepts to do it, he is just a kid so I think that the court have to make him some tests and send him to a psychologist because it can be that in his house he saw violence, and he think that it was normal and he saw to some fights in the T.V programs so I think that it has to be more investigated.
3. Nowadays the children are very aggressive because they saw some violent T.V programs, the cartoons are not the same before and the games of the play station just have guns and death people, so that is a big problem for the society and is bigger the responsibility of the parents so everybody have to work together and educate the children to stay away from that kind of things.
4. It is a little bit unfair because he is going to spend all his life in jail but he does not have to do that with his “friend”, he can not feel like God and kill everybody because it is not true so if he was really the guilty he has to have at least like 30 years in jail, but if he is not the guilty that will be the biggest mistake in his life, for that reason I think that he needs a psychologist and it has to have more investigation.
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ResponderEliminarhello (:
ResponderEliminar1- yes. I think maybe he was just pretending to be a wrestler, and he was doing what he had learned on T.V, but then when he realized about what he did, he knew that he was in troubles. because at his age he was able to know what was bad or good. Sometimes the anger or adrenaline doesn't make you think clearly and you don't realize about what are you doing, you are acting unconsciously. So maybe it was truth but it wasn't an excuse to kill someone.
2- yes. Nowadays most children grow up sourrounded by serious family problems, by people telling them that they are good for nothing, by T.V programs, news, showing how easy is to kill someone nowadays. So, it is possibly that a boy kills intentionally a girl or someone because he will do just what he has learned.
3- actually yes, children have change. the context nowadays is not the same as 50 or 20 years ago. There are different factors that have made them change, such as the kind of entertainment, the way to play, the time they spend in family (less than some years ago), the busy world where their parents are involved in and that's the reason why they are growing up with a different point of view.
4-I consider that according to the crime he did, it was totally fair the kind of punishment applied, but maybe the court had to make mental health tests to know if the crime was intentionally or not, and if it wasn't the court should take it in account and help him to get over the mental problem, but if it was intentionally the punishment is just fair for him, even when he is just a child.
1-Yes I think it´s truth, because Peter is a child, I do not think he want to kill that girl they was just playing but things got out of control. However to be a professional wrestler is not a game
ResponderEliminar2- Maybe a thirteen´s boy should not be playing with a little girl of six years old, but I believe that was not intentional, he is a child he doesn´t know very well what kind of thing that´s good or bad, the children do many things unconscious about the dangerous or consequences about their actions.
3- Off course the children are different, and it shows the importance about the communication between parent and children because they see many case of violence and in the past everything was different.
4- Peter has only thirteen years old, I think he was unconscious about his actions and the jail is not a solution, he needs a psychologist, but I am agree he needs a punishment because he has to learn every action has a consequence.
1- Well, it could be true that they were just playing and that he was supposed to be a "wrestler" but it doesn't mean that he had the right to injure that girl, it was just a game, and this unconscious boy just did it probably learned by watching TV and by observing current behaviors of society. But the only way to make him learn the difference between right and wrong , is by making him see that he needs to be punished by spending time in prison. And not only that, he should have also apologized to that little girls´s family.
ResponderEliminar2- I don't think it was an accident, it's a fact he wanted to hurt that girl, because he did so. It is possible that a boy as young as Peter did what he did intentionally, but I think he had some mental issues. It's not normal at all that a kid or anybody wants to kill or cause damage to other human been so I think it's difficult to believe he was “normal” because he had no reason to do what he did.
3- I think nowadays they are even improving their minds, it's just because of technology, TV, media and all these kind of things, they are learning things faster but the negative side of that is that sometimes they don't have any guidance nor advice from their parents, and that confusses their minds since they are not always able to draw a limit between fiction and real life.
4- I don't know if it was the right punishment because well, I agree that what he did was not correct at all , but it could have been also a concecuence of mental issues. So I don't know if his mind was on the right place or not, but the punishment is right just because of the fact that he needs to learn that life is to be respected at all times.
1- Maybe he was pretending to be a wrestler, but as a child he didn’t realized what he was doing and he didn’t understand the consequences that could bring to him. Maybe he thought that, for example, if in the t.v the people do those things and nothing bad happens, in the same way anything would happen to him.
ResponderEliminar2- Well it is possible because he did it, but off course there are other situations that could influence in his actions. Maybe it was a t.v show or maybe he suffer violence in his home so he acts like that, like if it was anything special, cause he saw that everyday.
3- I think that children are actually different, they act different, think different, and maybe it is because they are seeing different things and living different things, because nowadays in every t.v program, in movies, even in music videos, you can see violence and all those things that could seem funny or interesting, even more for kids. The thing is that they don’t really know or understand what is really happen with those actions. And bad influences are everywhere and you can’t always regulate what the kids learn.
4- Off course he needed to be punished, but I don’t agree that he was judge as an adult, because he is just a 13 years old boy, so he wasn’t mature as an adult. I think it was too much time in jail for a little guy. And also before they decided that punishment they really needed to know if the child was the one who kill the little girl and which was the reason.
1) Maybe, but several questions would arise: could a thirteen years old boy be a professional fighter? It’s a thirteen years old person and does not qualify as a kid that’s not a wise of his actions, when he was hitting her he should realize the damage he was causing her.
ResponderEliminar2) Mmm .. Several things should be taken into account: Was her zealous? Did he have mental problems? Was he mad and as a revenge he decided to take the girls life? Before answering that question an anal is and an investigation should happen. For my opinion “Peter Barton” could have done it intentionally however that doesn’t mean that every kid can kill intentionally.
3) I believe there totally different and not because of them, because of the environment that’s surrounding them. We’re in different times now, even for myself and I am 16!! Nowadays kids walk around with cellphones, ipods, etc instead of enjoying their childhood. Just to get excited for playing with water and dirt.
4) In this case, I honestly don’t know what to do, probably what I would’ve done is perform several and severe psychology and psychiatry test (because I don’t know it was intentionally or accidentally) and under high and extreme supervision. At age 18 judge him as an adult and put him in jail. That way would be fair.
1- Yes, because children of these moments are very violent because of the cartoons, video games and everything that surrounds a child.
ResponderEliminarIn school, you hear talk to children about the wrestlings of Saturday and Sunday. Or they start to play things related to fighting, as seen in cartoons.
Also in games such as Grand Thief Fauth, that is about gangters that make killings or sell marijuana ...
2- Not intentionally ... it depends on the child because if you see that in reality this seriously assaulting the girl stops suddenly.
3- They are very different, before cartoons are Luny Tunes, much less violent than before.
Before the games were more physical, run, search, get dirty. Those of today are virtual and very bloody.
4- The first thing I would do would be a safe therapy with a psychologist, and see how it evolves, but a child of thirteen years is very conscious of their actions.
jajaja q tuanis esta asi...
ResponderEliminarjajaja promete y medio profe
1.He was a boy of 13, and children often play very rude and they do not know what could happen if something bad happens, but in another point of view Peter was stronger and older than her and also he could see if the girl feel some pain or scream.
ResponderEliminar2.Is possible that a child kill a little girl like in the history but, l don´t believe that he make this intentionally , because they was played, if he want to kill her he had done in a different way.
3.No they are not the same because everything change and with that the kind of life we have now, some of the thing that influence this are the television and the violence we see there.
4.I think this is not fair because he was judged with a law that is for adults who know what happened if you give a punch at someone and Peter was just playing to be a wrestler.
I really don’t know because Peter was already a boy not a little kid, he supposed to the conscious about he’s actions and what he was doing, another reason can be that maybe he had mental problems that nobody knows so he unconsciously killed the girl or from the inside he was keeping a bad feeling of angry at someone so for that reason he do that.
ResponderEliminar Sure, because the human acts aren’t limited doesn’t matter the age or if it’s for good or bad.
Different, for me it’s because now children watch more T.V that shows a lot of violence and also play videogames that are violent with crimes, blood and people killing, so maybe that’s the reason children act that way.
For me it’s not fair because he’s just 13 years old, he can receive another punishment like been in jail for five or ten years, go to psychologist sections every month or something like community service.
♥I think he is saying the truth. They are children and they like to play that kind of games. I think he was only playing with her and he didn´t know that he was hurting her.
ResponderEliminar♥Maybe... in some situations... nowadays are people that don´t know how to raise his children in a positive or a good way, and also the society and the bad influences can corrupt young people, so they can intentionally kill somebody... but in this case I think he didn´t do it. I think they was just playing like normal people and they didn´t realized about his strength and killed her.
♥Definitely.... as I said before... nowadays people raise his children in a very different way... in the past children went to school and they spent the rest of the day playing with his neighbors or his friends...today kids see violent programs in TV and later they play war games and all that kind of things change the way children see reality
♥I think the punishment is really hard! Is just a 13 years boy .maybe they can give him 5 years in jail for kill that little girl, at most, 10 years, but 25 years in prison for an accident? Is too much.
hi(:
ResponderEliminar•Answers..
1.I do not think I have the discretion to say if he was telling the truth or not because we don't know what was going on Peter. But I think what he said about the wrestler, has much influence on how media and society people.
2. It is possible, things have changed a lot and violence every day is reflected in society. Any person may commit crimes no matter their age.
3.The children these days are bombarded with all kinds of information, and for many reasons no one to tell them what is right and what is wrong. In most homes the children are independent and have no one to share their needs and thoughts.
4. I think the sentence was unfair and really hard, I think it is practically a child should help and try to do a good human being.
1- Probably he said the truth but sometimes I think that the most problems that making that situations are the family and maybe mental problems.Family because sometimes, the parents do not put attention about what the child do and do not detect the many mental disorders that the child have.
ResponderEliminar2- I do not sure if he killed her intentionally, but sometimes I think that the parents have to put more attention about what the children do.It really upsets me when I read these history because many situacions we can avoid but as I said maybe he has a family problems or mental disorders.
3-Definitely, the children are too different because nowadays we have many mediums that influence and as I said the parents did not supervise and the children maybe they see things that it is not adapted.
4-I think that it is too harder but if he know in that time the consequences and the he do it good because never human being have to kill other one.
1.I dont know maybe he doesnt saw that he was hurt the little girl,i dont think that a boy of this age want to kill someone.
ResponderEliminar2.No because he was played with her,and if she did intencionally maybe was because he was angry and he delivered his anger with the girl.
3.No because times are changing and nowdays childrens are more violent because tv programs,videogames,magazines,cartoons and others mediums of comunication influence in their lifes because that programs shows violence and dangerous scenes and when kids saw that they want to do the things that they see.
4.No because he was a little child and you cant judge a child like a person who has 30 years old or more so maybe pedro had to went to terapy or a psichologist,but no went to jail.
1 - Maybe if he was telling the truth but his imagination or his dream of being a fighter he did take seriously what he was playing with the girl and led him to commit the crime.
ResponderEliminar2 Yes, because a boy of 13 years has the ability to differentiate right from wrong and has the strength to kill a 6 year old girl. So I think he do this intentionally.
3 Children today are very different from before, I feel than before they were healthier, these days not so much because kids see bad things everywhere and they want to imitate and leads to mistakes.
4- I think it is a just punishment because he must know who committed a mistake and should pay, but what I think is that you are given probation is when you have 38 years because it could be that peter has mental problems and at this age to commit another crime.
1-I think that maybe he was telling the true and he was playing to be a boxer. However a 13 years old boy is ready to realize that he was causing damage to the girl. Or maybe he just had mental problems and because of that he killed the girl.
ResponderEliminar2-I believe that a 13-year-old boy can not kill a girl intentionally because he was big enough to know that he was causing to the girl. Maybe the child behaved in that way because he had serious violence or mental problems that caused him to do that.
3-I believe that the children nowadays have changed a lot since they have been by the media of communication, such as television, cartoons and others that present programs with a lot of violence.
4-I find it unfair because even when he killed a girl he was just a child and he was punish as an adult, and law has to be different according to the age.
Mmm I think that a person of 13 years old hasnt the the enough numbness to kill a little girl, i mean, if even for an adult person the simple fact of killing a person is difficult how much more would it be for a teenager...?? So he must be telling the truth.
ResponderEliminarAlso I believe that children are same as they always have been, what have change is the society. The parents dont take care of them any more like they used to do it in the past, thats why the children arent able of distinguish between good a evil.
Besides all this, the punihsment gyven to the boy was very unfair,he didnt deserve to be treated as an adult. Before judge Peter, we all should think in his aituation, we dont know if in his house he was having problems, perhaps he doesnt have parents, or not good parents at least.
The murder that Peter made its just a reflection of our society, lost and confused.
1 maybe, but they do not have the totally certainty that it is true. He has 13 years old, with this age, he do not have to kill a little girl when they are "playing". But it is possible that he said the truth.
ResponderEliminar2 I think that he did not killed the girl intentionally. They was playing, but nowadays you can expect anything about a child.
3 the children are not the same, nowadays have a lot of influence that will change the mentality children. That depends about the family and the values that they teach them.
4 this punishment it is just for him, because he kill a girl. but it is important to know that he is 13 years old, and is injust to sentenced to life. I think that the court tried him like a adult and this punishment are not appropiate for him.
It could be truth, but if is truth what the florida state district Adam Emmit says, it makes me wonder how true it really is!!!, cause as cindy said he could have some kind of mental problems but he is 13 years old is not a child, for that age I think he is smart enough to know how to play without cause any damage.
ResponderEliminar If he had some kind of trauma or some creepy mind it is possible… but I think he could really know what he is doing to that girl…maybe he could just play and without any fault hurt her…
Maybe in the past the children were quieter cause they didn´t have all the technology that is now available for all of us…it´s amazing how the technology make the life easier and how the children are influenced with it.
I don´t think it is fair…because he still is a child, doesn´t matter what he did…for me is better he get into some therapy to make him realize what he did and that was bad
1) I believe it is not, because a 13 years old person can difference between good and bad things; he's not a child anymore. It's more than clear that this boy has mental problems and he wasn't just "playing" like another normal boy, I think he had strong bad feelings in himself and that is what pushed him to make what he did.
ResponderEliminar2)With a mental problem, I think it is. At that age a boy can make decisions about what's right and what's wrong, but when are psychological problems in the middle changes the conception of this two things.
3)News like this show us that children were so different in the past. Part of the changes that the kids of nowadays are experimenting are because bad aspects of mass media like violence in T.V and movies. So it's really important that parents take control of their children and teach them values.
4)It's pretty unfair, because although a 13 years old boy knows what is good and bad, he doesn't have enough mature to get in to a prision. I think that the best solution is not to send him to jail; it's to find psychological help for him and try to make him a good person for society.
In my opinion I think he is only 13 years old, he was a little kid that were playing with a friend. He just want to pretend to be a wrestler and have fun, he hasn't the real idea about the thing he do. But he is very young and it could be the true. Sometimes children don't lie. And is sad because he didn't think about the consequences of his actions.
ResponderEliminarNowdays it would be possible, we haven't the idea of what's going on with our children. They are growing in a different world with a lot of violence and that's a consequence of mass media because they show bad things and they learned about it. In this case it could be an acciddent but is sad that these such cases continue happening around the world.
Children have been changing day by day. Families are diferent, nawdays they think that the education have to learn on school and thats not true everything starts at home, they are the real examples for our lifes.
I think that the punishment is very hard. He is just a kid. He doesn't know as well that he did. Maybe he had some metal problems. He need other kind of help because going to the jail is unfair and very strict.
1. Maybe he is telling the true because why a little kid is going to kill a friend, the only way is if he had a mental disorder.
ResponderEliminar2. For me is not possible, I cant stand why a little kid that is only 13 years old have the desire of kill someone. His excused was that they were playing, but is he not realized about the pain of the girl? what about her fractures? I think that he had very serious problems to not to realized about that.
3. No, nowadays they are not the same, today kids grow up under the influence of publicity of mass media and they are used to see weapons,guns, wars, an accidents in their daily lifes.
4. Maybe the only way to know about if the punishment is hard to him or not is making some test about his mental health, and then we can know if the punisment is hardest or not.
1)maybe he is telling the truth or maybe he has a psychological problem as to many killer in the history and he transmit his problem killing other and the moment that he began to hit her friend he feels good doing that, so he maybe continues killing people.
ResponderEliminar2)in my opinion it could be truth because agains an psychologial he could make it and become a serial murderer and it goes worst if he like that he do.
3)no! because nowday they have the open door to a lot of violence in the society, world or just on a game with to many guns, wars, deads
4)for me it was not just for him because he is just a little kid but the has to be court as a children and not as a adult and not be so hard with the little boy
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ResponderEliminarIf I had a lot of money, I would try to invest money to make more money. I will invest maybe in a resort, because is a project, that has many advantages in Costa Rica. And then I will donate money for people that have many needs, like orphans, or nursing home. And this will be a big change in my life, because my parents would stop to work and it will be more relax for them. And I will have a secure future, with work and without needs of worry about my life.
ResponderEliminarThe money starts to be indispensable in the life of the people, because all is around the money. The people are very materialistic, and for something you have to spend money. If you want you something, you have to pay.