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This kind of mindless violence has been going on forever. Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and Vlad the Impaler didn't go down in history for their restraint and diplomacy. Less than 100 years ago people were having picnic lunches at lynchings and sending photos of the victims to their friends and relatives.

It just gets more play now because of cheap video cameras and the internets.

- Jim

Rikk101 wrote:None of this will help the poor kid that they killed, but may have some preventive effect on others who would do the same thing.

Unfortunately, it probably won't have a deterrent effect.

This incident was a "Lord of the Flies" type of situation. Kids (using the term loosely) in that environment don't think.

These guys maintained their innocence and went for jury trials. They were found guilty. Probation is rarely an option in those cases.

In some completely unrelated cases, I'm aware of defendants who declined 10-year plea bargains, went for jury trials, and were sentenced to 20 to 50 years.

If these particular "yutes" survive their time in the Joliet academy of higher criminal education, they probably will not be so foolish as to get themselves on video committing felonies. Also they won't bend over to pick up soap that they dropped in the shower.

- Jim

The last defendant to be tried as an adult in this case was sentenced to 32 years in prison today.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 2027.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Two other defendants received comparable sentences and one got off easy with 26 years. Probably this is some sentencing guideline that I am not aware of. That's a long sentence for a first-time offender, even for murder.

- Jim