Teah Wimberly Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder

The Miami Herald reports on the verdict in the highly publicized Teah Wimberly case. We talked about this terrible tragedy at the time of the shooting and one year later.

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.

Teah Wimberly - One Year Later

NBC Miami reports on the sad anniversary of the Dillard High School shooting, November 12th. Much of our discussions last year were about personal responsibility.

It was just around 11 a.m. inside the hallways of Dillard High School when Teah Wimberly, 15, confronted Amanda Collette, also 15. The two had been longtime friends, but had had a falling out, police said.

According to a police report, Wimberly, upset over the broken friendship, had brought a .22 caliber pistol to school that day, Nov. 12, 2008.

When Collette refused to speak with her and turned to walk away, Wimberly pulled out the handgun and shot her friend in the back, according to the report.

Collette, a sophomore at the performing arts magnet school, was pronounced dead about an hour later at Broward General Medical Center.

Police caught up to Wimberly near the school after she called 911 to turn herself in.
"I wanted her to feel pain like me," Wimberly told police.

Wimberly was charged with murder and discharging a firearm on school property. She's still behind bars, awaiting trial.

What's your opinion? Is there anything wrong with a 15-year-old "still behind bars, awaiting trial?"

Please leave a comment.

Teah Wimberley to have Psychological Testing

The Miami Herald reports on the latest developments in the Dillard High Shooting case.

Teah Wimberly, the Broward teenager accused of shooting her friend to death at Dillard High School, will undergo more psychological testing before a judge decides whether she should be moved from jail to a mental institution.

Prosecutors and Wimberly's lawyer jointly agreed further testing was needed, canceling a Friday hearing, according to Judge John Murphy III's office.

Wimberly, 15, has been an inmate at the North Broward Jail in Pompano Beach since November. She is segregated from the other female prisoners because of her age.

The defense claims that she suffers from serious psychological issues and that she needs specialized treatment that cannot be offered in jail. Prosecutors have argued the teen can be treated in jail.

Before the decision to postpone the hearing, the two sides had been expected to put several psychology experts and therapists on the witness stand Friday to prove their point in court.

Since the terrible shooting, some family background has come out that is being offered now as proof of Wimberley's diminished capacity.

Abandoned as a baby by her mother, she grew extremely attached to her father, Jevon Wimberly, known on stage as ''J Baby,'' who was an up-and-coming comedian in the Miami area. In 2007 he himself shot another man in a dispuite, was convicted of second-degree attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years. Leaving Teah in the care of his parents, he refused to allow her to visit him in jail.

Now that's enough to throw anyone's life off the rails, but is it enough to excuse her actions? Is it enough to mitigate them? Combined with her age, do you think this girl should be held accountable for this murder the same way as say, the Florida Turnpike killers are?

The last time we talked about this case, at the time of Teah's non-guilty plea, we received a comment from a classmate at Dillard High named Lucille.

teah's intention was not to kill amanda, her intention was to kill herself in front of amanda but at the last second she turned the gun. amanda was not gay. they were never dating. i'm fully convinced teah has some problems. she would blog about the how sweet death was and how the darkness soothes her. her mother kicked her out of the house and she had to live with her grandmother. none of this is a reason to kill someone, and i believe teah should not get off easy, but there are some things to be discussed here. if there was no gun available, i'm not sure this would have happened...

Young Lucille is certainly no expert, and I've never claimed to be one, but interestingly we both say the same thing. If there had been no gun available, this incident might not have happened, at least it might not have had such devestating results.

What's your opinion? Can you see how the availability of the gun is often crucial? Do you think Teah should be considered for leniency because of her age and background?

Please leave a comment.

Teah Wimberly Pleads Not Guilty

The Miami Herald reports on the second court appearance of Teah Wimberly, the 15-year-old accused of murder. She's the one we discussed before who allegedly killed her best friend who'd recently broken off the friendship.

Police said Wimberly told them she shot Amanda because "I wanted her to feel pain like me."

The family of Amanda Collette, the murdered friend, have called for increased security at the school, specifically mentioning metal detectors. As far as I can see, no one is talking about arming the teachers. Sadly, in a case like this, it probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

Of interest to me is the gun, not because I think it's an evil inanimate object with a frightening power all its own, but simply because it's availability to the young jilted Teah made this tragic incident possible.

It remains unclear how Wimberly obtained the gun -- a .22-caliber chrome pistol -- used in the shooting. Fort Lauderdale police said they would not release information about the gun or its owner until the grand jury hears the case.

Do you think Teah Wimberly committed a crime of passion? Does a spurned lover who lashes out at the object of her affection enjoy full mental capacity? Should such a person receive psychiatric help or should she just cool their heels in the state penitentiary for a good long while? What's your opinion?

Many people think I'm too soft on criminals, but in my defense I remind you of cases in which I agreed the violent repeat offender should not be on the street. But doesn't Teah qualify for compassion?

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Teah Wimberly, 15-year-old Shooter Charged as an Adult

The Miami Herald reports on the Dillard High School shooting which we discussed before.

Teah Wimberly, the teen accused of shooting and killing her best friend at Dillard High School last month, will face second-degree murder charges as an adult, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Wimberly, 15, will also face one count of felony possession of a firearm on school grounds.

In our previous discussions I tried to point out that, as I see it, by the time a teenager picks up a gun to do something like this, it's way too late. The time to address this problem was 10 or 14 years earlier. It's the parents who more than anyone else teach kids how to deal with conflict, how to respond to frustration, how to accept disappointment. Once a kid is this age and so damaged she's capable of this, it's too late.

Collette, 15, had recently ended the two teens' long-standing friendship and the shooting may have been retaliation, friends of the two said afterward.

Wimberly confessed to the shooting and told police she wanted Collette to ``feel my pain.''

Where did a 15-year-old ever learn to respond to rejection like that? Is she fully responsible for her actions? Did we ever decide on that line when discussing the 8-year-old killer in Arizona? At 8, he's an abused boy but at 15 she's fully responsible? I don't think so.

I say any and all mitigating circumstances need to be considered in a case like this. Trying a teenager in adult court, ensuring the probability of doing time in the adult penitentiary cannot be the answer, in my opinion. What's yours? What do you think about this case?

Teen-age Female Shooter Arrested on First Degree Murder

The Miami Herald reports on the tragic high-school shooting that took the life of one student and put the other behind bars.

15-year-old Amanda Collette was gunned down by a classmate in a school hallway Wednesday.

Teah Wimberly, 15, who is accused of killing Collette, sat Sunday in the Broward Regional Juvenile Detention Center. She is charged with first-degree murder.

Friends of the girls say Wimberly and Collette exchanged a series of emotional text messages Tuesday in which Wimberly said she loved Collette, but Collette rejected the advances.


Where does a 15-year-old with a grudge get a gun? Where does a 15-year-old with a grudge get the idea that shooting is the answer? This is exactly where I stand against the idea of arming the good guys in order to combat violent offenders. The pervasive message that shooting is the answer would only be perpetuated by arming teachers and arming law-abiding citizens. This mistaken philosophy is already too prevalent in our society. We need to teach negotiating skills, the art of compromise, love and peace, if you can stand that cliché.

Why is the female shooter so rare? Is it a question of testosterone and estrogen? Is it a learned behavior, boys learn it girls usually don't? What do you think about that?

Is a female offender more likely to receive leniency? Those who rely on statistics should say yes. Being female she's much less likely to repeat. And isn't that the whole point, to protect society? On the other hand, perhaps she should be tried as an adult, held accountable for her actions and sentenced to death? What do you think?