Juveniles Sentenced as Adults

By: Amy Matzen

What causes kids to commit heinous crimes?

• A glitch in their brain that causes them to want to do things they should not do

• A glitch in their brain that causes them to not care about other people

• Negative influences through other people, books, and movies

• Not thinking before they act

How can a judge decide which kids should be sentenced as an adult?

Every crime committed by juveniles should be reviewed closely and all circumstances

considered in sentencing them as an adult, juveniles should be held accountable for

their actions and must be tried as an adult when they commit an adult crime.

Some kids are aware of what they are doing when they commit a crime. Others do it out of fear, or because they are talked into it by an older friend. Some kids

do not deserve a second chance, and some do. How do prosecutors decide?

Eric Smith

• 13 years old when convicted of second degree murder• He is now 24 and could spend the rest of his life in prison• Strangled and battered the life out of a four year old boy• He did not stop when the boy was dead, he continued to do

awful things to the body• Kept his secret for one week before he confessed

Samuel Vonachen• 14 years old at the time of the murders• Confessed to the premeditated killings of his mother, sister, and

attempted murder of his father • Set fire to his home with design to kill• He admits his family was loving and caring• Feels all other human life other than his own is worthless and believes

all persons are awful• Admits to planning bomb attacks in Washington D.C and a sword attack

on Buhler High School• Says if he is ever released from prison he will kill others• Is extremely intelligent with no history of mental illness• Openly considers himself superior in intellect to others• His father admits to being scared of his son

Barry Loukaitis

• 14 years old at the time of the crime• Had a hunting rifle, two hand guns, and 78 rounds of ammuntiton• Killed his algebra teacher and two students, critically injured

another, held class hostage • Convicted of 2 counts of first degree murder, 1 count of second

degree murder, 1 count of first degree attempted murder, and 16 counts of aggravated kidnapping

• Is serving 2 life sentences and an additional 205 years in prison without the possibility of parole

These kids are aware of what they were doing, they thought it out and plotted in their heads. They should

not be let out of prison. One of them even admitted that he would do it

again if he was released. They are a danger to society.

Joshua Phillips

• 14 years old at the time of the murder• Killed 8 year old Maddie Clifton• One week after Maddie’s disappearance Josh’s mother went it to clean his

room and found her body under his bed• Said he hit her with a baseball while they were playing, didn’t want to get

in trouble so he took her into his room. When she started screaming he hit her with a baseball bat and stabbed her to make her stop.

• Had no history of violence• Is now a model prisoner, received high school diploma• Sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole

Paul Henry Gingerich

• 12 years old at the time of the murder• Contributed to the murder of Phil Danner• Boys were not sure they could go through with the murder until

Phil walked into the room and saw them holding guns. That is when they each fired two rounds into him.

• Is now a model student/prisoner• He admits he did wrong, and he wished he just went home

instead of going to his friends house with his two friends• Sentenced to 25 years in prison

These two boys admit what they did was wrong. Paul got scared and shot the gun, he deserves punishment but he is a kid who is proving he deserves a second chance. Josh got

scared and felt that he was going to get in trouble for an accident, he deserves punishment as well but is also proving that he deserves a second chance.