I'm sorry but this trial has become the theater of the absurd...

[ellisonz]

January 8, 2013 | 7:28 am
— Phil Willon

The 12-year-old Riverside boy who shot and killed his neo-Nazi father had a "tragic history," including violence since he was a toddler, a mental health expert testified Monday.

But, said child psychologist Anna Salter, there was no indication the boy's father condoned such brutality. Salter said the boy, who was 10 when he pulled the trigger, told her his father tried hard to get the boy's violence under control — on occasion beating the child as punishment for an outburst.

The boy's violent acts included an attempt to strangle a teacher with a telephone cord and stabbing classmates with pencils, Salter testified Monday during a juvenile court proceeding in Riverside. Salter testified as a mental health expert for the prosecution.

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Salter told the court she found it "very odd" that Hall had not been threatening the boy at the time — they had spent a "family movie night" together hours earlier. The boy told police, however, that he lived in fear and was tired of his father's beatings.

More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/boy-who-shot-neo-nazi-father-has-tragic-history-psychologist-says.html

If this judge finds that this boy was capable of understanding his decisions, I will be completely appalled. That our justice system seems to be going to such lengths to somehow demonstrate that a child raised in a violent Neo-Nazi household was not subjected to constant physical and emotional abuse and moreover that given his relative young age would be able to comprehend his actions is a testament to the failure of our legal apparatus to handle such cases and to our social systems to prevent such systematic abuse in a home. How this child was not removed from this home long before this incident is beyond belief! This is truly the theater of the absurd and the true victim is this boy and not that Neo-Nazi fuck Jeff Hall.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. To the best of my knowledge, Anna Salter is not a child psychologist.

Her specialty is criminal psychology, particularly sex offenders, and she has no tolerance for "excuses" such as histories of childhood abuses. She generally testifies for the prosecution.

She also writes thriller-type novels, which you can no doubt find on Amazon.

[ellisonz]

2. So it gets even worse

Only a loon with no true sympathy and respect for the victims of systematic abuses would make such outrageous summary judgments. Crack-pot.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/181-7112153-0705545?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Anna+Salter

[Jackpine Radical]

6. I know her & don't much care for her.

It would not be particularly smart of me to say a whole lot more in a public forum.

[ellisonz]

7. You've said more than enough already...

...it saddens me that she was given access to this child for a reported 6 hours and in all likelihood paid for her testimony.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Paid very well for her testimony.

She's a Big Name.

[ellisonz]

12. Guilty:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022193546

[pinto]

3. Even if, as the prosecution asserts, he understood his action the defense has a good case, imo.

Years of abuse. A "family" environment that not only condoned but promoted violence? A 3 year old's outburst are cause for a beating? A "family" that consisted of the leader of a neo-Nazi group, that met in the home, and a kid? Apparently there's a step mom, as well.

Probably a lot more to this than is known at this time, as with all sad, tragic family situations.

Willon (LA Times) has a bit more here - http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-neo-nazi-murder-trial-20130108,0,4682988.story

[ellisonz]

4. The prosecutions case is essentially that he was capable of understanding his actions...

...they are applying the standards of an adult criminal case to a child - as Justice Kennedy recently noted - children are “categorically less culpable.” Given the boys age and familial history I think that any thought that they would in the end find this child to be culpable to be far-fetched at best. I find this entire circus to be a dramatic waste of our tax dollars.

[pinto]

5. Agree.

[ellisonz]

8. It will be interesting to see how this plays out

[ellisonz]

11. Guilty:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022193546

[ellisonz]

10. He won't testify

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/01/boy-who-shot-neo-nazi-father-doesnt-testify.html