Boy Dies After Fighting With His Twin Brother Over Pack Of Gum

[matcom]

<snip>

For want of a piece of gum, one Maury County 14-year-old allegedly lashed out at his twin brother with a steak knife.

Less than 24 hours later, one brother's body was at the morgue being autopsied, while the other brother was standing before a judge, charged with first-degree murder.

"He's remorseful," said Detective Terry Dial of the Maury County Sheriff's Department, speaking of the 14-year-old who allegedly stabbed his non-identical twin in the upper left chest Tuesday after school.

Dial, court clerks and school officials all declined to identify the boy in custody, despite a state law that makes public the identities of juveniles 14 and older who are charged with the most serious violent crimes.

However, Dial confirmed that the victim's name was Blake Basler of a Pulaski Highway address.

According to Dial, the teen who died got home from school shortly after 3 p.m. His unidentified twin brother had stayed home because of illness.

"They got into it over a pack of chewing gun. A fight erupted, and a knife was picked up. There was one stab wound,'' the investigator said.

The boys' mother, who was elsewhere in the home, called 911 and performed CPR on her son until authorities arrived. Dial said the victim was still alive when the ambulance arrived at Maury Regional Hospital in Columbia.

"He died at the hospital. They probably worked on him an hour and 30 minutes, no luck," Dial said.

The brothers were eighth-graders at Culleoka School, a kindergarten-through-12th grade school with an enrollment of about 1,000 students.

"Both of the boys were well liked," Principal Jeff Quirk said.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061019/COUNTY04/610190381

[cwydro]

1. where in hell is Maury County?

[Bossy Monkey]

2. Columbia TN, say 40 miles SW of Nashville n/t

[cwydro]

3. oh god

I just knew it was the south...(and yes, I am from the south)

[peekaloo]

4. Was it Doublemint gum?

:hide:

[petronius]

11. I doubt we'll be seeing this in a commercial anytime soon

"We're the doublemint twins,
and we're here to say,
why is everything so - What!
Only one pack left? Die motherfucker!"

[raccoon]

5. This says volumes about their upbringing. Or lack thereof. nt

[Haole Girl]

6. "Both of the boys were well liked,"

Huh? Well, I certainly didn't expect to read that. This is just a strange story. Doesn't anybody else wonder if there is more to it? I mean...the mother was home? Didn't she hear it getting out of control? I can't help but wonder about that home environment...and, I hope they take any other children and put them in protective custody immediately.

That is a very disturbing and odd story...and very sad.

[jobycom]

9. We know nothing about their home environment.

It could have been the best of environments. Kids can go into a blind rage at the drop of a hat. Just pick up the nearest thing and strike out with it. I watched my older daughter stab at her younger sister with a fork once. She was in the same room, their fighting was no more than the normal bickering until that moment. If she had connected, the incident would have become much more serious. As it happened, it resulted in a long punishment and nothing more. Barely a memory. I remember my brother throwing a knife at me, I watched a friend get an axe swung at his head by a younger cousin. We all laughed so hard we almost peed. If it had connected, he'd have been killed, but we didn't even think of that. And these were good families, all of us grew up to be normal, healthy people.

Just happens. No need to blame a parent suffering the worst pain she could possibly suffer. Not without some clear evidence that she was truly neglegent.

[Haole Girl]

10. I just don't want to see anybody else hurt

I'm sure the parent is suffering the worst kind of pain there is right now.

[Swede]

7. How awful.

nt

[acmavm]

8. Geez, this is sad.

[YankeyMCC]

12. I can't imagine how

the family will deal with this emotionally.

[bullwinkle428]

13. They played the mother's 911 call yesterday on one of the news

channels...she was completely distraught and trying to administer CPR. Totally heartbreaking story.