14 DAY TRIAL // A young boy from Riverside, California has been tried and found guilty of murder on Monday, January 14.
The 12-year-old boy has been convicted of murder in the second degree, following his neo-nazi father's slaying.
During the case, which we covered a while back, the son told police officers that he believed nothing would happen to him if he were to take his father's life. He had watched the TV series Criminal Minds, in which a similar case ended in the character being released.
Riverside County Juvenile Court Judge Jean P. Leonard will set a sentence on February 15, at the disposition hearing. The defendant stands to be incarcerated until his 23rd birthday. He would spend the first few years in juvenile detention.
The judge can decide on whether or not other courses for rehabilitation can be pursued in the Hall case. The boy, who was 10 years old at the time, premeditated the murder of his father, The Press Enterprise notes.
Jeff Hall was a known supporter and leader in the National Socialist Movement, a neo-nazi party. He was often abusive with his family, and had taught his son how to use guns.
“It’s clear he knows more than the average child about guns, hate and violence. [...] This was not a naïve little boy unaware to the ways of the world,” Judge Leonard says.
Before their opening statement, the prosecution had brought in a psychologist who explained that the child was aware of the consequences of his actions.
“He did know he was wrong (to shoot his father), he said it in many ways, including that night,” Dr. Anna Salter said in court.
“I think [the boy] has a tragic history. I think he has had a tragic upbringing. [...] I don't think [he] is a hopeless case,” she adds.