Inside a Broward County courtroom Wednesday, families mourned two teenage lives cut short -- one by a bullet, the other by a possible life prison sentence.
The parents of Amanda Collette quietly cried as Teah Wimberly, the 16-year old charged with killing their daughter, was found guilty of second-degree murder.
Steps away, John Wimberly wept, too, as the beloved granddaughter he raised since infancy was placed in handcuffs.
Overcome with emotion, the elder Wimberly had to be carried out of the courtroom by two relatives. His cherished granddaughter was the opposite -- stoic and slumped in a chair.
Teah Wimberly kept her head down and buried her face in her hands as Circuit Judge John Murphy read the verdicts: "guilty'' of both second-degree murder and possession of a weapon on school grounds.
I don't think there's been a sadder case than this one, the victim and shooter were 15 at the time of the incident, it was about young jilted love. Then on top of those details, the State of Florida decided to try her as an adult and finally the judge rejected all suggestions of temporary insanity.
This case is a big winner for all those personal responsibility folks who believe everyone is responsible for what they do and no mitigating circumstances can diminish any incurred guilt.
I find it a terrible injustice. A light sentence could, in large part, correct that, but somehow I don't think that'll happen.
What's your opinion? Is it right that this 15-year-old, now turned 16, should have been tried as an adult? Is it right that the temporary insanity defense should have been rejected?
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
"What's your opinion? Is it right that this 15-year-old, now turned 16, should have been tried as an adult"
ReplyDeleteYes. At 15 years old, everyone knows what a gun does when you point it at someone and pull the trigger.
"Is it right that the temporary insanity defense should have been rejected?"
"Temporary insanity" is an invention of lawyers. So yes, it should have been rejected in this case and in many others.
AztecRed, This "invention of lawyers," is something that should never be considered. is that your position.
ReplyDeleteDo you see no difference between a rageful spur-of-the-moment killing and a planned cold-blooded assassination?