they need to be tried for murder not injury to a child. As soon as they are convicted they need to be hanged within 48 hr since they have already confessed.There is no need to waste any money on feeding these two while waiting for the trial or the hanging. And we definately should not be wasting money on them for there defense as they confessed, trail should take 24 hrs at the most .

100% agree. But, you have too many bleeding heart people that want to be humane to the person committing the crime. There was nothing humane for what they did to the 10 year old. Just imagine what the boy went through until the day he died. The father and stepmother deserved nothing less than death by starvation. When a person commits a murder and can be proven that there is absoutely no doubt that the person committed the murder, execution by the same means they used on their victim(s). Also, we should also render the death penalty for serial child molesters, serial rapists, and drug dealers that was proven the drugs they sold caused the death of someone.

The "Humane" thing would be to put them away, sans food, for a couple of weeks and Then execute them. But That would be considered cruel and unusual punishment under current laws, after all; we wouldn't want to stoop to their level.

they need to be tried for murder not injury to a child.

Agreed but it's obvious that loving parents surrounding their child in a safe environment would not have committed such a heinous crime and let this boy die in such a torturous manner. This wasn't something that developed overnight.

Just imagine what the boy went through until the day he died. The father and stepmother deserved nothing less than death by starvation. When a person commits a murder and can be proven that there is absoutely no doubt that the person committed the murder, execution by the same means they used on their victim(s). Also, we should also render the death penalty for serial child molesters, serial rapists, and drug dealers that was proven the drugs they sold caused the death of someone

Excellent post, Mark. Agreed.

Both voted up.

That's the bad part..... They will get three meals a day sitting in prison it would inhumane to starve them. That is crap!!! If more people were punished they way they should be these things wouldn't happen to children!!

Them bastards need to sit alone in a cell with nothing!!! Just like that poor little boy did!!!!

I don't understand why people who so viciously defend their Second Amendment rights (calling all those who believe in gun control "Constitution haters") are so quick to denounce the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Amendments which guarantee our rights to a fair trial and legal protection.

Hey Ryan - did you read the article? No one is saying don't have a fair trial - I believe the implication is a just sentence, not a jail-cation.

These two admitted what they did, told the police where they put him to die, and where they placed his body when he died. There's no question of guilt, nor of premeditation, he was alive when they moved him to the basement of the other house, non-responsive but alive, they didn't want caught for starving him that far so they let him die then dumped his tiny body. I believe in God and I am the first for saying don't judge, but also the first to admit I am not perfect. It's not judging when someone admits what they did and what they are. Starve them for 2 weeks, then send them to meet their maker. Maybe God will have more mercy than I. Certainly Jesus will. God forgive me my anger and hold this child tight.

God is holding him tight right now he is finally safe, they should stay in jail their day will come.

10 to 1 these wackjobs "home schooled" this kid so he couldn't be identified as a victim of on going abuse by teachers.

Humanity to the accused is necessary and what makes the rest of us better than the criminals; however when there is a confession and it is proven (people make false confessions for some reason) as in this case I see no reason for considering the "rights" of the criminal. This "father" knowingly starved his child and allowed him to die as punishment; what could a child have done that made him deserve to die in such an inhumane way? I say the punishment for this man and his wife should fit the crime. Brick them into a wall and forget about them.

Ryan

They do have a right to a fair trial but they already admitted that they did this. At this point we are only discussing the sentence. My personal opinion is to take them to an arena, charge admission and pay for view, douse them with gas and I will throw the match.

Drop them in the middle of the desert in July and then shoot them in the belly when (if) they find their way out alive.

These kind of crimes just boil my blood. The thought of an innocent child being so mistreated is just beyond explanation. Put them together in a dark room and leave them. Maybe they will eat each other before they die but who cares.

Constitutionally, they are guaranteed a fair trial. If we deny any one person that right, it opens the door to denyiny all our rights. We have given up too many of those already with Homeland security. But we did it for the better good. Having said that, They won't get the death penalty, in all likelihood, even in Texas.

That said, I want to go burn my couch. Aaron, at one time, had an interest in dating my daughter. she wasn't interested in him as a poteneial suitor, but he came to visit from time to time. He even took her to his mother's house to visit and she knew his son Jonathan. He was always so attentive and was always eager to leave in time for Jonathan's mealtime and bedtimes on those days when he worked late. When he met Elizabeth, my daughter was relieved. She was happy he had met someone to hold his interest and Elizabeth got pregnant within weeks of their first date. When she found out she was carrying twins, she was sent to immediate bedrest, according to Arron at the time. She had had several miscarriages before and they didn't want to take any chances with the babies. He and Elizabeth got married. He wasn't making enough money to provide for a big family, so he started looking for a better job. He wasn't having much luck. His mother had misgivings about Elizabeth, but had made her peace with the situation telling my daughter, "I wasn't pleased he got married to her so quickly, but she is going to be the mother of my new grandbabies and I have dealt with that and hope he is happy." Jonathan is autistic and was in special education in the town just 8 miles where they dumped the baby's body. He was sweet and very loving from what people saw. So, for us, er claim that Jonathan caused her miscarriage was way out of character. He always said please and thank you and had a beautiful smile. All of a sudden, Aaron went into his job, gave them the keys last year and quit with no notice or reason for leaving. He just up and quit. After that, we onlt saw her at the Wal-Mart once and she said they were about to lose the truck and were behind on the rent. she said they could be homeless soon if something didn't happen quickly. Elizabeth also said Aaron had hopes of going to work for a security company but it had fallen through so he now had no prospects. aaron had fought a messy custody battle for Jonathan. Jonathan's mother had issues and the courts decided Aaron would be the better parent. We knew he loved him deeply and was really concerned about Jonathan's future and what he should do for little Jonathan. When they moved, no one saw them in what seems like forever. It had been over a year for us. The last time we saw him was about a week before he quit his job over a year ago. What happened in that house was just a shocker to all of us. We don't know how Aaron could go from the devoted father we knew to someone who had it in him to starve his son for 5 months, feeding him only occasional water and crackers, eating his own feces to survive for five months. And how could a woman, wanting so badly to be a mother, do this to that baby? How could she stand by and watch it? We ALL feel that she was an active participant and most likely, the primary driving force behind this horrible act. We all feel Aaron would have enver treated his child this way had it not been for Elizabeth. He was such a sheepish kind of guy and Jonathan had been his focus in life. We just don't know how he could have gone this far and changed so much. And how could the school district, when they moved, not tell CPS or at the very least, question his grandmother, when he never was registered in another school district and no one requested records for a transfer? He could be alive today if someone had just chaecked to see why no one asked or his transfer records. He was put in that room before the school year was over. Wing when he wasn't in school? There are so many questions - so few answers.

Normally I am against Capital Punishment,

my reason is "mistaken identity"

these people should starve to death on death row....

@usa1967

These stories make my blood boil as well. Wtf is wrong with people. What is even sadder is that I am sure that this poor little guy loved his parents and just wanted a normal life with them. Most of us know what it is like to be loved by our children. There is no greater feeling in the world. Their love is unconditional and will change your life forever. These sick monsters deserve a million times worse than they gave for betraying the love of his gentle soul. May God give you peace and comfort forever little one.

This is exactly why our current system of jurisprudence doesn't work. Listen... I with every single one of you. Everyone is presumed innocent and has a right to a fair and speedy trial.

Here's the rub.

These people aren't innocent. They've admitted their crimes. If there is any doubt as to their innocence, it was fully resolved when they told police where the boy's body was. No one other than the murderers could have told police where to look with such certainty.

The Constitution is wrong. Plain and simple. Due process should be reserved for the innocent. The guilty should go straight to the punishment phase.

And as for "cruel and unusual punishment" - explain that to that boy. I can't believe the fact that I'm sitting here at work weeping. I have two boys and the level of monstrosity that these parents have to be to even consider harming their child - I don't care if the boy was a saint or sinner - is just off the scale. If you freaking loathe your children that much, give them up to adoptive services so that some other parent who does have the patience and love could provide the child with a life. I know adoptive services aren't necessarily a pretty process to go through - but at least the child would have been alive.

I'm not normally an exceptionally religious individual - but I think upright1 said it very well (although, leave me my anger - it's what keeps me motivated to seeing to it that we [as a country] get our collective heads out of our collective rumps):

God forgive me my anger and hold this child tight.

"It's been very rough knowing that he's been gone this long," Swanson said. "Her emotions and the whole family's are so mixed, but now it's become painfully real."

This ENTIRE family needs to be in jail. How could you not know your grandson is not starving or being mistreated?

IS THIS ENTIRE FAMILY IN DENIAL?

GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY

Best case for capitol punishment. The only thing is that they'll well cared for before the switch is pulled.

I understand the bloodlust, but I refuse to be like them.

Rather, id just like to make prison less like a vacation and more like a punishment - especially for the lifers.

Let their muscles atrophy, let them eat the bare minimum to stay alive, let them sit in cells for 22 hrs a day...let them go insane, on their own, as a grand reward for being horrible human beings.

But I dont see why WE need to do to them what they've done to others...we just need to let them be, and die in due time. You dont want to rot away and die in prison?

Dont committ murder, or a rape a child, or anything that can land you in prison for life.

100% agree. But, you have too many bleeding heart people that want to be humane to the person committing the crime.

Thank you for that mark. It's about time someone pointed out the obvious to the oblivious.

why do people have children if they are going to treat them this way?

@Bscol

Do you really want to know or are you being rhetorical?

Wkdwch...thanks for the additional information. It doesn't excuse the actions in the least, but it gives us a chance to cling to the knowledge that this child's life wasn't always a living hell.

And there is no way these people could EVER be starved as they starved Jonathan. You see, Jonathan was not only needing food for maintenance; he was also needing food for growth. These parents are done growing. They could never understand the burn that poor child felt but did not understand due to his disability.

And I will leave the punishment up to God. His sentence is far longer than ours.

I cannot believe that people on this vine can speak of god when something like this happens, this is living proof that this all mighty that you speak of is either a sick @!$%# or does not exist. You choose. Gods plan, what a joke.

Well Jo-An... For the first time ever I agree with you 100%!!! As a father of 2 boys my heart breaks every time I see a story like this. Yes for some of you out there who have seen some of my opinions I really do have a heart.. It is my fervent hope that these "people" get a taste of what they put that child through. I also hope they are shamed to the point they will never be able to come out of their dark holes!!!! If Texas can't put em away (Either by lethal injection or life without parole!) then they should never be able to show their faces in public ever again!!!!

"I can't believe the fact that I'm sitting here at work weeping."

Me too!

it burns my ass to think that these 2 will get a fair trial what about that poor little boy he did not have a choice in the matter on what happened to him as a parent i would give my life for one of my children the children are a blessing they deserve to be happy and safe but not in his case and the scum should suffer a tit for a tat i always say do to them what they did to him... may that poor little boy rest in peace....

I hope this little angel has found peace!

OMG. This is awful. How can people be that way. Knowing your child is in the next room starving to death. They need to lock them in a cold dark room and starve them that way when they die they can rot in hell.

wkdwtch. Thank you for sharing. Another case of the wicked stepmother and spineless dad. Why? Why?

I am saddened that yet again God gets a bad rap. Free will people. We have to take responsbility.This tiny soul is now resting in God's pocket safe and sound. Happy at last. The worst part of the free will senario is that no one cared. Not Grama, not Mom, Aunts, Uncles. Now thats criminal. Mom and Dad should be placed in General Population. A taste of Hell so to speak.

Read all of these comments and I think Ryan is the only one here with a brain.

Wow. I no longer watch the news on tv and am fast getting to where I may avoid it online as well. Just too darn depressing and some days, horrifying. I do believe that everyone is legally entitled to a fair trial. I also believe that in cases such as this, the prosecuter should be able to immediately present the evidence, the defense given 1 chance to show a VALID reason why that evidence is incorrect (good luck with the full confession and location of the body) and sentencing then rendered. There is no room for mistaken identity in cases such as this, and trial should take no more than 2 hours. With that being said, if these people were to be killed by an unknown assailant, I also don't think more than 10 minutes should be wasted trying to identify them.

proof read msnbc. proof read.

The remains were found were found "under a log" in three feet of water, Woody said.

Boy some people on this think that these mosters have rights, they gave them up the minute the confesed to this. To bad there is not a state for these bleading harts to go an live. Let them deal with what ever and how ever they want with mosters like this. I personaly do not want to pay any longer for them, you talk about rights what about the little boy and his right to be feed and taken care of.

Ryan and the rest of you bleading harts people F U!

I find it all disgusting. I don't know the whole story of why they felt they needed to starve the young boy vs. putting him up for adoption but there is not a good reason. The parents should be made to suffer the same fate that they put the young boy through except do not put them together; make them stay far enough apart where they can not hear each other. Punishment is getting much too lax on these kinds of crimes to people and animals. If you don't want them or can't feed them them give them to some place that could find good homes for all. We are going to see more of this with the economy being what it is. Something needs to be done quick to at least get food to people that are trying to find jobs somewhere and make it possible for the people that say that they can not look for a job because of their young children have no one to look after them. If companies would reduce their profits on items so people could buy them then their sales would increase and there hopefully would be more healthy people. Democrats and Republicans need to get together on these type of issues and come up with some ideas that would employ more Americans. If an American wants a job then he should be able to find one at any reasonable wage. At this point in we need to take care on Americans before companies think of large profits. I'm sure the boy is in a better place but it's sad that this happened and no neighbors were aware of it. As neighbors now we all need to pay more attention to all of our neighbors so less things will happen like this. It would also to a good idea that any place that has any type of food items that they would normally throw away to give the meat or vegetables or canned for to central locations to be used for feeding people. Those companies should be able to get some kind of deduction as long as the food does not expire that day or the day after.

Or the only one who's read the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, at least.

Mike, yes they do still have rights. All the emotional bluster in the world doesn't invalidate the Eighth Amendment or its forbidding cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners, no matter what they did. Grow a brain, people.

To hell with a fair trial. Take them out to the desert and shoot them both between the eyes. These people do not deserve a fair trial for what they did to a child.

I believe we need to change our approach to criminals. The court and/or jury should decide if rehabilitation or punishment is needed. Those who are beyond rehabilitation should be declared animals and stripped of the human dignity and respect they denied their victims. Execution is too easy for the guilty. Life in a cage, that they will only leave when they are dead, empty but for the straw bedding an animal would get, and washed down weekly with a fire hose, by the folks in rehab, would be a just punishment. The cost of keeping animals this way, and skipping capital punishment, would help pay for a real rehabilitation for those that might benefit. Witnessing the stench, as the rehabees wash down the cages and occupants with a fire hose, would be a powerful deterrent with them knowing a cage is waiting for them if they should offend again.

"I am saddened that yet again God gets a bad rap. Free will people."

I'm sorry, Mo; I'm not attacking (really, I'm not) but I've had this conversation before......

All this says to me is that Johnathan's (or any child that has been abused) free will meant nothing to your god.

Please forgive the bad sentence structure.

another exposure of religious Texas redneck "culture"

My apologies to Mo if my post came across as hostile. I'm not attacking; Really I'm not.

I can see how it could be read that way. My apologies,

That poor child! How could anyone do this? What is so bad is that more and more of these kind of stories are being reported. When they made the choice to not feed this child and then take his unconscious body and place it in somewhere else , this is where it became premeditated murder as far as I am concerned. Keep slapping the wrist on people like this and see how much more stories like this will continue! Life in prison is too good for these sick people. I know they have not gone to trial but the charge of INJURY TO A CHILD is a JOKE! These people KILLED a child and TRIED TO COVER IT UP!!

This is exactly why our current system of jurisprudence doesn't work. Listen... I with every single one of you. Everyone is presumed innocent and has a right to a fair and speedy trial.

Here's the rub.

These people aren't innocent. They've admitted their crimes. If there is any doubt as to their innocence, it was fully resolved when they told police where the boy's body was. No one other than the murderers could have told police where to look with such certainty.

The Constitution is wrong. Plain and simple. Due process should be reserved for the innocent. The guilty should go straight to the punishment phase.

The problem with your position is, in most cases we don't see proof of innocence until during the trial. That's why we have due process for everyone. Just because you disagree with the constitution doesn't mean it's wrong The moment we point at one of the constitution's provisions and say it's wrong, we open the door to becoming a police state. Today we may say "Due process is wrong; tomorrow it may be "Freedom of speech is wrong" or "The right to bear arms is wrong" or "Requiring the police to have a search warrant is wrong." It's not about being a bleeding-heart liberal (at least the libs have a heart), but about upholding the values that America stands for. It's those values that sets America apart from the rest of the world, and the moment we discount those values we become another Syria, North Korea, Iran, or China.

Ohh.. JUST GIVE ME 5 MINUTES ALONE WITH THE "parents"...

Give them their trial, if they are guilty, stick them in the electric chair and pull the switch. This constitutes torture of a ten year old.

Like I said scabby-2231636 people like you that are making it hard on the rest of us, and open the doors to allow mosters like them to come in. If it was your kids,wife or family I am sure you would think a bit differant. But really easy to sit back and say this so telling me to get a brain WOW that is all you have. Get a back bone and stand up for the little boy or the rest of the kids that have gone through some despicable manor of dyeing. I do not disagree that some have rights but the ones that confess do not. You want to say that God will give them there due great, have them go see him now.

I love how the people who are saying "God protect this child," are getting bashed. Sorry, but it is none of your business if someone says that. If you just bashed anyone who said any of that, and vice versa if you are a religious person bashing an atheist, then you deserve to join these criminals in the article. STOP REFERENCING TO SOMEONE ELSE'S BELIEFS! IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS IF SOMEONE DOES OR DOES NOT PRAY FOR THIS LITTLE KID. Now, all of you who keep saying they deserve a fair trial...at this point, the trial they will receive is PURELY just as a precaution, as law, not because they actually DESERVE a fair trial, seeing as they have already CONFESSED. You are correct that they, by law, get a trial, but it is simply just a procedural thing at this point. They will be convicted...unfortunately they probably won't get capital punishment because of fools who keep saying 'THEY DESERVE A FAIR TRIAL.' WE ALL KNOW THIS. THEY *****CONFESSED*****. So stfu, they will get their trial, and they WILL BE CONVICTED. And someone up there said something about religious Texas redneck culture...sad life you must live believing everything you are told or hear :( please, have a mind of your own. Don't be a drone to the world.

I remember when my son was 10 years old. He would come up to me, hug me tight and tell me he loved me and would always take care of me. It made tears come to my eyes then because of how much he loved me, and it makes tears come to my eyes now, picturing another little 10-year-old boy who wasn't loved. It just breaks my heart.

It makes me wonder, "What The Fongonus" is wrong with Aaron and Elizabeth Ramsey? Surely, both of them clearly know the difference between right and wrong. Was their behavior part of a religious cult ideology? How could they believe that what they were doing was right?

If you freaking loathe your children that much, give them up to adoptive services so that some other parent who does have the patience and love could provide the child with a life. I know adoptive services aren't necessarily a pretty process to go through - but at least the child would have been alive.

I wonder about that too. What made these people think it was OK to abuse a child that way? Who thinks that starving a child is a proper punishment for anything?

Were there no friends or extended family who saw what was happening? Was there no one who could have helped this poor child?

Proud to be an American - NOT. As long as we allow anybody doing things like this in this country, we are failing to protect those that need protection and therefore we fail as a Nation that claims to be Number One in the civilized world.

Try to put these things into contexts and all you can do is cry about the fact that we are raising barbaric idiots with voting and civil rights.

This is how we protect kids and animals???? Shame on us!

And we still have people who think abortion is wrong. Did it ever cross anyone's mind that the "mother" (term used loosely) might have wanted an abortion but was afraid or unable to get one? For every right-winger who can quote scripture and other nonsense, I can give real world examples on how their abortion limitations simply do not work. Women DIED from back alley, coat hangar abortions long before Roe vs. Wade became law. Birth control was sketchy, at best. Some women/families simply could not afford another child, so the women had abortions. Then, like now, it was a monetary issue. Punishing women for having abortions is like putting lipstick on a pig - it simply makes no sense. Women do not get pregnant by themselves; it still takes two to tango.

That said, what happened to this child is unconscionable, no doubt. For all the shelters, churches, hospitals, police and fire stations where you can surrender your child NQA, there is no excuse for this. These people didn't just stop feed this kid last week. This has gone on for a while. These are the type of people the death penalty was designed for. I certainly hope the DA has the good sense to use it. If this is not a Capital Offense/Murder in the First Degree charge, then I do not know what is. Murder Two-Depraved Indifference does not provide a severe enough penalty. Please- no one make the stupid arguement that the parents were mentally ill. That would require believing that nonsense about BOTH parents. Sorry, you can't "catch" mental illness from your spouse or significant other.

upright1

I believe in God and I am the first for saying don't judge, but also the first to admit I am not perfect. It's not judging when someone admits what they did and what they are. Starve them for 2 weeks, then send them to meet their maker. Maybe God will have more mercy than I. Certainly Jesus will. God forgive me my anger and hold this child tight.

You no more "believe" in this god from a practical standpoint (i.e. "only those who obey my words are my disciples") than I believe in the tooth fairy.

You not only judge, you wish to inflict torture on your enemies (i.e. "... I tell you to love your enemies and forgive those who do evil unto you...") and then ask forgiveness for making the statement.

It's usually the same old broken record with you Christians. You'll step on burning coals to save a blastocyst, yet willing desire torture and death for anyone who wrongs you or society past a certain point. And, if it's not 'you', as in this case, you openly violate your "Savior's" commandment to not judge others. We saw how splendidly that idea went over during the GOP debates, when the right-wing hypocrites booed Ron Paul for DARING to suggest applying the Golden Rule to nations of people.

It would be so much more honest to just admit you do NOT believe Jesus' words, or at least refuse to accept them as commandments, rather than claim "I'm not perfect" and bellow off this drivel. It's not that you're imperfect -- we ALL are -- it's that his words are TOO F*KING HARD for you to swallow.

Yet you claim belief... and I'll just wager you judge others who ALSO say, "I know it says ___— but I'm imperfect." You know, like homosexuals, prostitutes, murderers, abortion doctors, etc.

Funny how reality has a way of blunting "god's word", isn't it?

i read this article and am disgusted. what could this little boy have done to deserve such treatment? if the parents could not "handle" him, should they not have sought help? whose idea was it anyways to punish him in this fashion? was it the step-mother's or the fathers? either way, they are both to blame, imagine trying to cover something like this up.

How disgusting. What kind of father dumps his child's body somewhere like it was a dead cat? Pure evil.

The boy's father said he found the boy unconscious in his room and that he wrapped the child up and put him in a vacant nearby house's storm shelter.

OMG this made me weep. They didn't think of taking him to a hospital or a Doc-In-A-Box to see if he was able to be revived, they just threw him away as they do their trash. These people should not be allowed to walk with other human beings. Not even an animal is given this ignoble end!

These are not parents, they aren't even human....If these two cretins are not give life in prison for the life they took, then we know that justice in Texas doesn't really exist!

Michael -

I appreciate your comments. I disagree with them, but I appreciate them.

The moment we point at one of the constitution's provisions and say it's wrong, we open the door to becoming a police state.

If we're truly a free society, then no document, law, person, court or official is above question. You're right that in many cases, people go through a trial and only during that process are the "facts" discovered. This is not "many cases". This is a situation where a father admitted to what he did to his child. He can't hide behind innocence. Based off of what !wkdwch said, my guess is you'll see the defense at least try and make the argument that "dad" is incapable of standing trial due to his autistic bent.

This is someone who tortured and then murdered their child. You can't look at it any other way. Even during the most ticked off moment in my life with my kids, I've never been through a period of more than 10 seconds where I've been upset before reason takes good hold again.

These people had FIVE DAMN MONTHS to come to their senses. They even had the chance to get him to the hospital when he passed out - but instead chose to let him die and try and conceal their murder.

PLEASE DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME I NEED TO HAVE "COMPASSION" FOR THIS SCREWBALL OR HIS WIFE. He very well may have had a beautiful smile, !wkdwch. I'll bet Jonathan's smile was pretty damn impressive as well.

At this point, the only question we need to ask the parents is... "Would you prefer to be regular, or extra crispy?"

The legal process will ensure these people have a long time before what needs to happen, happens. Some would say, "Have faith" that the wheels of justice will move quickly. I know better. The average time a prisoner spends on "death row" - as of 2010 - was about 15 years.

So please. Don't try and make off that the Constitution is sacrosanct. The eighth amendment is chock full of noble intentions and bad ideas. Hammurabi's Code, baby. And, by the way - a lot of people assume that Hammurabi's Code was punative. This may come as a surprise, but it is actually one of the earliest codes that included a presumption of innocence and that both accusor and accused have the right to present evidence. People just assume it was "barbaric" law and leave it at that.

Sterilize them.

Ok, I agree with your comments....but an eye for an eye...? Aren't you just stooping to their level? or asking someone else to do it for you? IF you don't like the justice system, then change it! Oregon has a measure 11 law.

My question is this how could the natural mother go an entire YEAR without contact with her son? Then to find out from the authorities that he had perished by the hands of these creeps! NO one would keep me from my child! No court, no police officer, nothing!

There is a special place in HELL for people like this. And where was this boys mom? If I dont hear from my kids once every few days, I try and get a hold of them to see whats up.

You no more "believe" in this god from a practical standpoint (i.e. "only those who obey my words are my disciples") than I believe in the tooth fairy.

You not only judge, you wish to inflict torture on your enemies (i.e. "... I tell you to love your enemies and forgive those who do evil unto you...") and then ask forgiveness for making the statement.

What kind of mumbo jumbo are talking of;

You atheists aren't under the gun, no pressure from the MAN above,the only Souls you have are on your shoe's you're,

"PERFECT"

Make abortion and contraceptives easily available, and advise crazy losers like these parents that there's no shame in not having babies. Stop the worship of human birth. Encourage people to only have children if they have thought about it for a long long time and are sure that they have the money, brains, job, home, strength, stability to properly raise a child. The pro-birth, anti-birth control movement bears some responsibility for people like this who chose to have babies. But these parents are confessed murderers, and need to be executed quickly, before they can have more children.

John27****, too many numbers, I don't have a problem with GLBT, in fact I believe anyone who loves another has the right to express that love and marry, it's the soul not the exterior, I was no virgin when I married so if a woman chooses to make money with her body I am more than likely to believe that maybe it's the only way she could make enough to survive or support herself, as for abortion, you're right I don't wish for it and I wouldn't do it myself unless it was a case of rape, incest, etc, but then I believe in comprehensive sex education which would for the most part make abortion obsolete. If you teach them how to keep from getting pregnant and how to avoid STIs then abortions wouldn't be needed now would they, but it is a woman's choice I guess and that is between her and God, not she and I.

There are things that will push even the most even tempered, most mellow and even those who try the hardest beyond all they can handle, and something like this is a hot button for me. I have spent my life, or at least 25 years of 44 and yes I know how old that means I was when I started, defending kids who were being abused. My first child I defended was 12 to my 18, and I took him into my home from a camp he had made at a local reservoir after his aunt had left him there in February in Iowa. Do you have a clue how cold Iowa is? He was in a tent with a pillow, a coat, two blankets, a gas lantern, a fishing pole(?), and a hunting rifle, why you ask? Because he ate a piece of his uncle's bologna after school. He was too scared to tell because he was afraid they would separate his sister and two brothers if the state got involved. He lived with me 3 months, went to school everything until DHS called to let her know the school had told them that he said if they wanted to contact him they had to call my place, so DHS was going to do an in home on her. I came home from work to find my home surrounded by cops and him no where to be found. He saw them coming and slinked out the back and walked to his aunt's and waited for the cops to show up there. I faced jail time and I did it willingly. Would you, he wasn't related to me, I only knew him through a friend of my sister, but I knew what had happened to him was wrong so I stepped up at 18. God gave me the strength to do what I did and sometimes I may fail him but thankfully he believes in me and can forgive me. I don't have to be perfect I just have to try and sometimes I may fall down but I do pick myself back up and try again. I'm sorry I feel the way I do about what these monsters did, but I do feel that way. I asked God to forgive me, that doesn't mean I can change how I feel in a moment or even in a day maybe I never will, but that's between He and I and that's all I care about.

God Bless you, I hope, even if you don't believe so, that life is kinder to you than you were to me.

P.S. I am not by any means a right winger.....lol so very far from that.

KarlStevens, I know you're probably not going to like what I have to say about your comment, I agree with most of it except the money part. Take money out of the equation. I have seen people with more money than they can spend who should have never been allowed to breed. They have never had the time to show their children love, compassion, or even teach them what family is. While some of the poorest people I have worked with have happy families, with children that fairly glow with being with mom and dad. Children should be the priority in a family, not what clothes designer or car we drive.

Kelson21, I wish there were enough people like you and I that it could happen. Too many bleeding hearts/compassionate people to let it happen. Just imagine what this kid went through before he died. I am sure the starvation happened over weeks.

They need to be charged with murder one and given the death penalty because they tortured and murdered a little boy who didnot have a chance to live , no remorse for what they did.

Kelson again a case where Capital Punishment is appropriate.....

They need to be taken out back and shot.....

Mark,

I am all for punishing people appropriately and truly believe that killers should die in the manner of their victims, or at least in as close a manner as is possible given that a good, decent person has to carry out the sentence and live with their actions for the rest of their lives. However, 100% guilt has to be established first. There are entirely too many people that have spent 10 - 20 years on death row only to be exonorated by DNA or other methods. As an example, a father was sentenced to death and executed for burning down his house and killing his children and after he was killed it was discovered that the investigation had been botched and the fire was an accident caused by faulty wiring; now this mans family has to live with the loss of him and his children; his wife lost everyone, his parents lost a son and grandchildren; you get my point.

In this case the confession has panned out; it matches what was found and it is very clear that guilt is a given, so screw a trial, as I said in a previous post brick these losers into a wall and forget they ever existed, no need for lethal injection or a burial; just E.A. Poe them.

I agree with almost everyone here and am glad to see so much compassion for the little guy and anger toward his murderers. We need to stop being de-sensitized and we need to be enraged everytime something like this happens. I hope that the other prisoners will take from them every meal they receive until they starve to death

Unfortunately, our so-called 'legal system' is so convoluted that sick cowards such as these cost taxpayers millions to either be incarcerated for life or put to death in the most compassionate way e.g. lethal injection after 20 years of courtroom bull@!$%#. It's time to forget all of that and send some clear societal messages that none of this type of behavior will be tolerated with no excuses. I guess if our current methods were superior to formative measures (i.e. hangings, etc.) then our society would be more peaceful.

I typically don't believe in an-eye-for-an-eye justice EXCEPT when children, the elderly, disabled and animals are harmed. This is definitely an-eye-for-an-eye situation. They should go thru the same torture they put this child thru. I hope he rests in peace.

Once they've had their day in court and are found guilty, take 'em out back and shoot'em.

Imagine Hell for these creatures. They are sitting at a beautiful table set in the finest linens with the best silver and china. Crystal goblets full of fresh cold milk. Every imaginable food in abundance. Roasted fish, fowl, pig and beef. Great bowls of freshly steamed vegetables of every kind, the aroma is so compelling.

There are mountains of mashed potatoes and gravy, pasta of every description. Johnny is sitting across the table feasting with great joy. Waited on by people who truly adore him. Dessert trays laden with every delight imaginable are carried around the table by waitstaff.

Did I mention their arms are melded to the arm of the chair. They starve for eternity. Yeah I like it.

wtf is wrong with people?

They need to be taken out back and shot.....

Why, so we could become just like Syria, Iran, North Korea, China, Myammar, Cuba, and all the other backward police states that we claim to be so better than? If that's your idea of justice, you're more than welcome to emigrate to those countries. Just remember that when they show up at your door at 3 AM to arrest you for whatever reason and detain you for months without a charge or a trial or even access to an attorney, remember that it was your idea of criminal justice.

It isn't bleeding hearts, its just following the Constitution. In addition to requiring a fair trial it forbids cruel or unusual punishments. There is no legal way to get so creative with the punishments. This sort of ting was done in Europe and the writers of the Constitution wanted to be sure it didn't happen here.

These parents r disgusting.They should be starved to death they should be punished so severe.Why why do that to a child ur child omg.I have 2 children of my own and to see this in the news just drives me insane if they didnt want the child give him to someone who would love him and take care of him.They both should die....

Kelson21 - I couldn't agree more.

We need to start punishing in the same manner of the crime.

They starved this poor kid to death. Done deal - lock them up and leave them there until they starve.

As bloodthirsty as it sounds, I absolutely agree. In the case where guilt is 100% beyond a reason of a doubt the punishment should fit the crime. This poor child was starved to death, something that is both slow and painful, then his body was discarded as if it was trash. We SHOULD be angry with what these parents did, we should NOT sit back and try to reason that they 'must have had an excuse', there is none. If they didn't want the child I have no doubt that someone would have taken him whether it be the paternal grandmother or child services. What a horrible fate for that child, I pray he find peace and those that loved him can heal quickly if true justice is served.

Me...

The State of Texas can.. and I hope they do.

The State of Texas also has the highest child murder rate in the country. And that's in a country having the highest child murder rate in the world.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/most-children-who-die-from-abuse...

I'm in

RevSpinnaker -

The State of Texas also has the highest child murder rate in the country

I didn't see this in the article and can't seem to locate it. Can you post some facts? I also did some research on the "US" Having the highest child murder rate. That's correct in 2000, but any more recent facts?

The most recent statistical data available on child homicide rates,
Murray said, indicated that the U.S. had the highest infant-child
homicide rate — four times as high — as all other Western nations
surveyed, at 4.1 children per 100,000 people

www.wnd.com/2000/03/1958/

Even if one child is murdered, the price is to high. If this father/stepmother are found guilty, they deserve nothing less than the death penalty. I am an American Taxpayer, and I should not pay to watch these two individuals get 3 square meals a day while the child they may have starved to death lays in the ground.

Dexter?

It'sAboutTime: For some reason that link won't work. It's actually to a video of a Morning Joe segment with Katty Kay. You may have better luck just keying the address into your search engine. It's still available as I just looked it up the other day.

For further info try the "Child Maltreatment Report of 2009." There may also be a more recent one. The Center for Disease Control and American Psychiatric Foundation will also corroborate the statistics.

We need to pass Barbara Boxer's "Violence Against Children Act."

Thanks for the response. I'm still not sure about Texas having the most child murders. However, I hope yourself and everyone agrees, the murder of one child is one to many. Just yesterday, there was 17 year old who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, stabbed, and left for dead, right here in Dallas Thankfully, she was found and is now in the hospital recovering. I'm not a native of Texas (born and raised in the midwest), and this chills me to the bone.

I read through the Violence Against Children Act and I agree. Congress should pass this one.

www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s175

Thanks for the comments.

Thanks for the govtrack link, I signed up. Try to Google that Katty Kay interview on Morning Joe. I keyed in 'Katty Kay Morning Joe child abuse' and it came up at the top of the search. Good luck.

I'm in. Give them a week or 3 with nothing but a mirror.

HOLD ON ONE MINUTE, "REVEREND SPINNAKER":

"Texas is number one in child murders".....oh, really ??

I hate to rain on your parade, but do you really think for one minute, that countries with oppressive governments and state controlled media are allowing their own atrocities to be known to the rest of the world ?

There's no way a country with an oppressive regime would want the western world to know of every crime against a child/children/women(have you ever heard of "female circumcision"?(which is really emasculation of the clitoris)I'm guessing not, because it doesn't happen in this country that I am aware of, but it happens abroad in several countries, don't be fooled/lulled into believing it doesn't !!).

Wake up, we as Americans hear about all this because our media pumps it out(ratings are important). Our government isn't dictating to the media not to run a story about a child murder. You can bet that there are governments who are covering up the most barbaric/animalistic of crimes.

Yes it's always easiest to point he finger at the US, because it's allowed in our country. Try criticizing the C.C.P. while in living/visiting China and see where that lands you (most likely in prison eating watered down soup if you're lucky).

Read Aleksandr l. Solzhenitsyn's THE GULAG ARCHIPELAGO about the corrupt state run prison system installed by Stalin (not that long ago, there are still survivors) that often times threw completely innocent ordinary citizens in prison to fill quotas ! I challenge you to read the book even half way through, and after that you might be thinking differently about what really is happening around the world.

I say give them a taste of their own medicine. They should know what that boy felt so that they understand the pain he went through. : ( Just kills me, pains my heart when I hear of children suffering so horrifically. What I don't get is why no one noticed? How can a 9 year old starve to death and no one notice? Didn't schools notice he was gone, didn't his relatives ask about him, didn't his friends come by to play?

otto: Don't blame me for the statistics you choose not to believe. And pardon me, this is the one instance where I said "world" and didn't use the term "industrialized nations." According to the Center for Disease Control, among others, American women kill more of their own children than any other mothers in the industrialized world. There is even a new term, neonaticide, defining child murder within the first 24hrs. And yes, according to the British study Katty Kay reported, which was based on numerous American studies, Texas has the highest incidence of child murder in the US.

Keep in mind murder rates reflect a high level of all forms of child abuse.

You say:

"Wake up, we as Americans hear about all this because our media pumps it out(ratings are important)."

A child dies every five hours from abuse or "neglect" ( too vague a term) in American. The media isn't pumping much of that at us because child abuse is actually a ratings bomb. It's also not the PC form of child abuse, like sexual abuse, because the vast majority of truly heinous crimes against children are perpetrated by, or directly involve women. That doesn't fit into the pat feminist notion of "male privilege" and "patriarchal oppression."

That's why the "Violence Against Women Act" was ratified nearly 20 years ago and the "Violence Against Children Act" is still stuck in judiciary committees and has 0% chance of passing this year.

cite:

www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s175

Look up Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) Violence Against Children Act and contact your duly elected representatives to pass it.

RevSpinnaker:

Ok point well made. I wasn't bashing your information, but your point about Texas being no.1. You have to admit there are two very large "industrialized" nations that we really couldn't trust to go across the street to buy bubblegum, right ? So for practical sake, lets say "Western Industrialized Nations"(including Australia).

Look up: "Falun Gong abuse" or go to wikipedia and look up Falun Gong (look under suppression)

It's terrible that so much abuse is going unnoticed, and often times at the hands of the mothers. I actually know of one such case, and it was always difficult to prove any allegations, even though many other family members knew what was going on to one degree or another. You have done the right thing by pointing out the immoral double standard where abusive mothers are automatically appointed as guardians of these helpless children.

Here is another fire bomb double standard no one dares talk about. A gym teacher or coach who is in the shower room "supervising" form age 12-19 while our children grow up, and later is discovered to be gay or lesbian. I personally know of 2 true life incidences of this happening in small towns in the midwest, but when ever I bring it up, someone chimes in "keep your homophobia to yourself". I am not "homophobic" and have always known gays or lesbians through work or school, etc..but for some reason this whole subject is "taboo" and evrey time it's brought up, someone chimes in like it's a witch hunt, that we're out to "get the homosexuals". If gays/lesbians want equal treatment and rights, then lets not pretend this is not an issue any longer. It's a pretty clear issue of abuse in our society that goes unnoticed since we started having children,teens, and young adults take showers in open bay type locker rooms. So really only since the 1950's right ? It's really a something we as a society doesn't even address, and it's one of the biggest double standards of our time, very very sad indeed.

otto: The situation you describe, a mother being abusive with full knowledge of the rest of the family is actually quite common. Canada is way ahead of us in child abuse matters and they describe such behavior as "target abuse."

I once heard Joy Behar on "the View" make a joke about "women who pick out one of their children just to hate them. Imagine, child abuse jokes on daytime TV. And no one condemned her for it.

Talk about a double standard.

And my stats about child murder in Texas still stand. They also have the most executions. There's a proven correlation between child abuse and adult criminal behavior.

I remember that story, and thought his punishment to be very just. I am in agreement with you, guilt must be established beyond a doubt, not just a reasonable doubt, but completely beyond doubt. Then death by whatever means the victims died; and if the killer committed sexual assault before, during or after the killing he or she should have their external genitalia removed with a dull blade and no anesthesia a couple of days before they are executed.

Great... so now we want to become exactly like the countries we hope we're better than... whose leaders we often think are inhumane. We've spent billions of dollars and have lost countless lives trying to free people of governments we believe have no real respect for their citizens... and this is what we want for us. Of course these parents should be punished! Jail time with no chance of parole, and their freedoms taken away forever!!! But do we really want to dust off the pitchforks we should be proud to have put away a long time ago? I've been living overseas for work, and only now do I see how much fascist rhetoric is spewed in the comment sections of these online news agencies....

I would like to know where was the child's mother during all this. Did she visit the child? It takes time to strave someone. If she saw the child during this time, she must have been aware that something was wrong? If she did nothing about it, she's equally guilty. I also agree they should be tried for 1st degree murder, not with "injury to a child." That's too light a charge and does not take in the scope of their crime.

They are only charging them with injury to a child. What's up with that?

Probably a plea bargin they made to get the guy to tell them where the body was.

Xina the Awesome

Probably a plea bargin they made to get the guy to tell them where the body was.

Probably...hopefully they will spend the rest of their lives being tortured and starved behind bars....

They will be charged with murder when the cause of death and the remains are identified. As yet the DNA isn't back so they have only been charged with the injury charge. It is enough to hold them, but not the final charge. Their bond isn't high enough, in my opinion, but no one in Aaron's famikly has the $50,000.00 it would take to go his bond, and if they did have it, I doubt they would pay it because they would have to secure the balance with real property and would never get the $50 grand back, either. I don't know if Elizabeth has any resources or family that would bail her out, either. But it doesn't seem like it as she and Aaron had difficulty making the bills and didn't seem to have anyone to help them financially. A murder charge is probably forthcoming. But they can plead out - they've already admitted guilt - and there would only be a cursory hearing to set punishment. They will probably get life in prison. Whether it is with or without parole remains to be seen. And even if they got a parole hearing, in Texas, if the parole board thinks the crime is heinous enough, they won't get it. at this point it looks like they will plead - at least they would be better off. but their fate in a Texas prison is not good. Many Texas prisoners tell people they killed a drug dealer in a bad drug deal to avoifd their fate at the hands of fellow inmates. Child killers don't fare well.

Just as many as did before hearing this story. This is hardly the first case of human cruelty. Innocent people have been executed and will continue to be executed as long as the penalty is there.

There's a bleeding heart for you!

I see, if innocent people being executed bothers you, that makes you a "bleeding heart." Funny how the term is used in a derogatory manner as if empathy is somehow an undesirable trait.

The mass majority of those on death row are NOT innocent and the father in this story has admitted to the crime. I believe in the death penalty if it can be proven beyond all doubt that the person on trial committed the crime. Since the father admitted to it, that should qualify as beyond all doubt.

According to affidavits, the boy's father said he found the boy unconscious in his room and that he wrapped the child up and put him in a vacant nearby house's storm shelter. Ramsey told investigators he dumped the boy's body in Ennis, Texas, a day or two later.

Innocent people being executed is not a reason to do away with the death penalty. It's a reason to look at how our justice system investigates and prosecutes crime. Disparity in sentencing should also be looked at. But in the case of a confessed and proven killer such as this where the father not only admitted to doing it, but described the location and sleeping bag he left the child's body in, there is no doubt that this man is not innocent. He deserves the death penalty.

Those who are truly anti-death penalty are against it in all circumstances regardless of the guilt or innocence of the convicted. There are those who have a strong moral believe that to take the life of another person is always wrong. It's an extension of being pro-life, and is the position of Catholics, Quakers, Anglican and Episcopalian, Mennonites, and others.

What bothers me is people such as yourself yell innocent when the people ADMIT they've committed a heinous crime as they did!

Why do I think this way? Because I've had it directly affect my family. Numerous years ago a father killed all of his children and grandchildren as they came home for Christmas. At the time, it was the worst family mass killing. I had to see my cousin hold her baby boy in her arms in a casket with a bullet hole through his head that couldn't be masked very well. All the while the monster that did this was being protected on death row by a damn preist that was against capital punishment.

So screw you with your empty handed empathy!

There have been lots of studies done on the topic, and everything I've read or heard states that capitol punishment very seldom or does not deters murder. Besides isn't is a far worse punishment to die in prison without parole ?

I'm not saying they should have cable TV or luxury items, but at the same time we should examine how we treat our criminals(don't treat by looking the other way at prison abuses). The prison system is a reflection of our own morals(or lack there of)and we as a nation/society cannot move ahead without making reforms to our archaic(out of date) prison system.

Why not just get the torture chambers going again ?(I'm being sarcastic) We could set up "the rack" to get confessions, and if a few innocent people are murdered, well that's the price of justice right ?

In fact every small time pot dealer should be getting raped and beaten in prison, so when they get out, they'll appreciate being free again, because that will teach them right, won't it ? Yes those nonviolent offenders will learn their lesson and would never hold a grudge against society, they wouldn't dare ! They won't have psychological issues, they'll just learn their lesson, and if they don't we'll throw them on the rack !!

From what little specifics we have here it seems likely the boy died from dehydration which is a form of starvation. It takes only a few days to die from dehydration, and less for a child than an adult. Still obviously torture...

@ janelle:

" If so, they should be charged for advocating a form of domestic terrorism."

I agree, but ironically, as the law is currently written violence against children doesn't fall into the category of "domestic violence." Legally it's a separate issue. The term DV is only relevant to the Violence Against Women Act. VAWA has been so successful that if a "domestic violence" call is made, police are mandated to make an arrest, usually the man, even if he made the call about his abusive wife.

Children are offered no such mandated protection. Perhaps an overloaded case worker from child protection services will be sent out later that week.

Nikolaus20, these "people" are monsters. A normal human would not do something this terrible to a small child or anyone else for that matter. Give me one good reason why two people who admitted to locking up and starving a 10 year old child, find him unconscious, wrap him up in a blanket, place him somewhere else, then throw him into a creek dead or alive nobody knows yet deserves to be treated better than they treated a helpless child. Tell me why they are not monsters in your eyes, but instead they are people? I am a mother of a 10 year old little boy and this story is disgusting to me. As a parent you love and protect your children, not torture them. Your job is to keep them safe and nurture them, not kill them. There is no excuse for the type of torture and suffering this child went through, none whatsoever. Are you a parent, would you dream of doing something like this to your children? I have no "mob mentality" I just believe justice should be served the right way. People used to be afraid to break the law, now it's a way for some people to have a constant roof over their heads and 3 full meals a day all at my expense since I am a tax payer. People like these two should be executed, it's a whole different ball game Nikolaus when you murder a child.

Another clear reason to pass Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) "Violence Against Children Act." Where's Joe Biden and his VAWA girlfriends when it comes to this form of domestic violence against defenseless children? Boxer's Act has languished in judiciary committees because of their ulterior political motives and indifference to child abuse.

I have to agree with Nickolaus20. If we start punishing murderers by starving, torture, or in another inhumane way, it won't be long before only abusers get that punishment. Then theives. Then people who cheat on their taxes. It seems like a long shot, or maybe that I'm exaggerating but that's what happens. Once you start down a slide you typically don't stop until you reach the bottom.

I have to agree with Nickolaus20. If we start punishing murderers by starving, torture, or in another inhumane way, it won't be long before only abusers get that punishment. Then theives. Then people who cheat on their taxes. It seems like a long shot, or maybe that I'm exaggerating but that's what happens. Once you start down a slide you typically don't stop until you reach the bottom.

Of course, you are correct...but it FEELS GOOD to spout off here, today!

I doubt most people "really" think that type of punishment is just, in our country.

We are STILL a civilized country, I hope!

I agree; if we must have the death penalty it should be carried out in the most humane way possible. As human beings we've come a long way from our barbaric origins but if we allowed society to once again fall down into the muck of blood lust legally we will expand upon it.

I don't know about the rest of society but I am glad that I do not have to be worried about being crushed, whipped, stoned, burned, drawn and quartered, drown, starved or even thrown to the animals to be consumed until death.

There are reasons behind the "cruel and unusual" prohibitions in the Eighth Amendment. The reason it is needed when it was written was due to the actual use of barbaric practices to inflict pain and/or death. Some may want to reflect on the history of the practice of the death penalty; at points in history every crime could be punishable by death.

Why should someone who killed in such a reprehensible way be executed humanely? If the death penalty is going to work, it needs to be horrifying, so horrifying that people are actually frightened of it. It's become sterile and sanitary instead of the awful thing it should be. A punishment must instill a fear of it if it is to be useful.

Nickolaus20 you have a point and I respect your ideology. However, the flipside is most criminals in the US know they will be treated humanely so there's nothing to deter them from their horrendous acts. They know that no matter how terrible their crime, they will be protected and treated in a civil manner. That is not much incentive to do the right thing if you are already insane or wicked.

Exactly - that's what I was thinking. Didn't anybody wonder where the child has been, especially his mother????? He most likely had hopes that someone would rescue him from the horror he was facing. He died horribly and probably feeling as though no one loved him or cared about him. That is just so, so sad!

Tragic.

Yes, there are lots of questions, but we certainly don't know all the facts at this point. Why did the father have custody ? Was there a social worker involved ? Without knowing the facts we should not speculate too much of who IS and who IS NOT to blame (after all the mother may have been lied to and misled, we don't know).

Another thing to consider is that the punishment and death may have happened quickly depending on conditions and the boys health. There is no doubt that if the confession is true, then it is one the most animalistic crimes in recent memory.

I still don't believe in capital punishment. Why give a murderer a shorter sentence ? Put them to work doing back breaking jobs that only illegal immigrants will do, to cover their living expenses(and raise the minimum wage, only the greedy rich need to hire illegal immigrants, which in turn keeps wages low). If an inmate gets out of line, have them do the dirty jobs like cleaning toilets or cleaning up chicken feces, etc..at the same time keeping hardened criminals too busy and tired to perpetrate crimes and abuses within the prison system. More importantly keep nonviolent offenders(who have a chance to become reformed) away from violent manipulative offenders.

How do you stare somebody to death? Wait have they found a way to make looks kill!?!

How do you stare somebody to death?

I think sammy forgot the v in starve....lol

But it would be kinda cool if looks could "kill" or at least maim....

Sounds like that George Clooney film, "Men Who Stare at Goats." Excellent flick.

I am just reading this article. What a beautiful young man he was. I have always believed in capital punishment. I commend your many states that allow it to happen for criminal such as this young man's parents - anyone taking a life/lives knowingly deserves to die. Unfortunately here in Canada - the "do gooders" always win - and people such as child murderers, police killers etc. are incarcerated in federal penitentiaries that resemble resorts, their "whims" are always met, they have more rights than I, they get free education and they get to vote in federal elections. It pays to be a criminal here in Canada.

This beautiful young man is safe. Do not waste tax-payers money on a trial or any form of incarceration. They knew what they were for the entire length of time necessary for him to die - horribly and alone. As one person noted - it was premeditated. They tried to hide the evidence. As well, everyone in that family should be held accountable. Did they not ask ask to his whereabouts? Did any family member express any concern to the authorities.

In closing, get rid of the parents. Make it quick for any other form of punishment will only bring out the "do-gooders".

I agree, they chose to starve him and that takes more than one day, they chose to hide him when he became unconscious instead of taking him to a hospital, and they chose to dump his tiny body to hide evidence. All premeditated, the prosecutor is an idiot.

I would guess they didn't have a body at the time of the INITIAL charges. Without the body it is difficult to indict/charge for murder. They used the charge of injury to a child to get them behind bars where they couldn't hamper the investigation etc.

Now that they have a body, they will complete the investigation and charge them with the strongest charge that they can prove.

This is fairly standard procedure across the country. As is the subsequent hand-wringing...

JustSome Guy: Very well stated. As typical with MSN you only get part of the story.