Belen police have charged a 10 year-old-boy with first degree murder in the shooting death of his father.Police said officers responded to a Valencia County home after getting a call around 7 p.m. Thursday from 10-year-old Benjamin Hilburn.
When police arrived, they found 42-year-old Bryon Hilburn shot once in the head. Police believe Benjamin used his own rifle to fatally shoot his father.The boy reportedly told police he felt his father was disciplining him too harshly and too often.
This case is eerily similar to another one which happened last year in Arizona. In that one the young shooter was only 8-years-old, and amazingly was initially charged with murder too.
In the case of Benjamin Hilburn, although there were no bruises or marks found on him, there was reason to believe his story.
But Romaine Serna with the Children, Youth and Families Department said the agency had been called to check on the family more than seven times since 2003, after anonymous reports of child abuse and neglect.
But, even so, my question is where did a 10-year-old learn to solve problems like that? Do you think in some way his father taught him that, and it resulted in his own death? How ironic and sad, huh?
Serna also said there were a lot of weapons in this home."It was a family sport, they were avid shooters," she said.New Mexico state law says only handguns are restricted for people under the age of 18. By law, Benjamin was allowed to own a rifle and use it with parental supervision.
With parental supervision, indeed. What's your opinion? Do you think there was something wrong in that home in the way their weapons were secured? Wouldn't "with parental supervision" mean the boy shouldn't be able to use the guns on his own? Is that practical in a "shooting" home? Wouldn't stricter laws relating to children and guns prevent something like this? We're talking about lawful gun owners, who presumably would obey the laws, so this wouldn't require criminal compliance, but simply the compliance of the law abiding. What do you think?
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