NBC is all about the criminal and their rights

Or the law, whichever.

John Freeman and he had help hiding her body from Tyler Best. How disgusting. there really are no words for this. It hit extremely close to home as I have 2 kids and I live in Niagara Falls. The crime here is getting worse and worse and we are starting to look for homes to buy outside of the city. Its starting to get as bad as Buffalo here and now a child was murdered because some retarded teenager?!? what the hell was wrong with him that he would do that to a baby? ugh! i have to stop because I can seriously go all day on this story it makes me sooo mad!!!!!!! I hope they both burn in hell!

I wonder what happened. Maybe this is one of those cases like that guy who was wrestling too rough with a little kid and ended up killing the child.

The 16 year old CAN receive an adult's prison sentence IF the court rules he be tried as an adult for commiting an adult crime - and he did. The only problem with that is putting him in a max. security prison where he can be the 'girlfriend' of the other inmates. IF the put him into juvie, at the age of 25 he can be released and his record 'sealed' so that his crime is never known.

Cross your fingers they decide to judge him as an adult for this crime. We'll now see just how intelligent the judicial system IS in New York! Too many states are abolishing the death sentence and that is a mistake, however, IF a person does go onto death row he/she is then given tons of opportunity to appeal their sentence and after all their rights are exhausted they will have lived another 17 to 20 years AFTER having committed the crime and the little one has now been dead for all those years. I don't know what ding bat came up with those laws but THAT is what needs to be changed. It all came about to make SURE the 'state' doesn't convict an innocent man - well guess what, that little one WAS innocent! So who cares about the killer? I'd just like to see true, honest, justice for this little girl! So if this piece of crap person is John Freeman, here's wishing and praying you get what you truly deserve. It' s no contest to kill a child! What a coward!

There are mugshots of the two teenagers, which you can see if click on "More photos" in the left column of the Buffalo News website news report, really . . .

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/niagara-falls/article1024924.ece

Really! :-o

On the news this morning they said that they were both charged as adults. we dont need the death penalty, after the trial hand these 2 over the family of Isabella and let them have a go at him.

He was already charged as an adult? There is usually court proceedings done to determine that in the case of a minor.

What is a 5 year old doing up at 11 at night? Why didn't grandma tell her to go to bed at a reasonable time and maybe she wouldn't have had to be around this boy. There is responsibility to be taken by more than the boy who killed her.

School didn't start until this week in Niagara Falls. It was still her summer break - spending the last of it with her great grandmother whom she loved very much. And my mother left us with a sixteen year old "TEENAGER" all the time... It's called a "babysitter."

I have family up in Niagara Falls and the whole city is grieving. It's such a senseless tragedy and the only one to blame is the one who committed the crime. Way to look heartless.

I concur with you whole heartly. In fact, as I was reading this, I was wondering why granny didn't put her to bed at a decent time for a 5 yrs. old, and in her bedroom. My girls at that age were in bed by 8 p.m. M-F, Sat. maybe at 8:30 or 9 pm, Sundays, @ 8 pm. And why were the boys at the home at that time of night? Don't they go to school??

And B) why on EARTH would said great grandmother go to bed at 11 PM leaving a 5 year old still up and "playing" with two TEENAGERS? Did this child NOT have a 'school night' BEDTIME?

Well being that the child is/was 5 she would have been in or going into Kindergarten was also may have not started the school year yet. Taking care of a 5 yr. old is a handful for the parent nevermind an elderly adult.

The article also states “The great grandmother, Sharon Lascelle, said she went to bed just after 11:00 p.m. and Isabella was playing with" the 16-year-old.....Not that the child was playing with both Best and Freeman. It did state somewhere that at times Best (the one whom went to the police) had stayed with Freeman.

What ever happened it is way to early to start casting stones at the Great-Grandmother, also many times KIDS are watched by 16 yr. olds especially with and adult in the house and he may have been a very colse family friend.(almost like family) I have many uncles, aunts, cousins, etc tat are not actually related, we have no idea of the family dynamics here.

It all sucks, and my heart aches as I have a 6 yr old. It just may be that there was some rough housing that went to far or maybe even a medical issue. What Freeman and Best did were wrong but kids don't uually think straight when presented with a massive situation like this. I do sense some real problems with Best and Freeman though as they actualy put Isabella in a trash bag before moving her and THAT IS A SIGN OF SOME SICK MINDS

"This is what is wrong with the younger generation of parents today. No reason for a child to be in bed at a reasonable time?"

So, the only reason this poor baby girl was murdered is because she didn't make her bedtime? UGH - you people are so judgmental. It makes me sick. Why don't you go say that to the face of the great grandmother and the mother who are stricken with grief right now. I DARE YOU.

I agree with everyone here saying that the great grandmother was negligent, and that the child should have been put to bed, but I do want to add this: The great grandmother was hardly elderly. She is only 65.

She was just incompetent and lazy, not too old.

Pinkies02--It was a fatal mistake in judgment and I'm sure everyone involved feels horrible. I'm sure the jewelry store security guard who falls asleep and allows all the diamonds to be stolen feels bad too. That's not the point. The point is the mother and/or great grandmother did not do their jobs as parents and guardians, and are therefore worthy of that portion of the blame. The killer is still the bad guy, just like the burglar is still the bad guy in the analogy.

MARY84: chill, get the whole story before you start killing people. I feel for the family and little girl, I love children and seniors, will do whatever to protect them, I'm all for the death penalty but mistakes are made when quick to judge. Just as I look at your profile and see a little child with their finger in the air, did you teach him that.

If he is proven guilty by the testimony of his accomplice who said that this animal murdered the little girl, then ther is only one out come, he should be executed immedialy. I am sick and tired of all these bleeding heart liberal judges keeping murders alive with a life in prison without parole sentence. Then when they go to prison we have to take care of their every need for the rest of their life and at the same time they murder guards other inmates without care because what else can sociaty do to them. If the shoe where on the judges feet and it was their little girl or son or wife or mother who was murdered they would want they person responsible executed.

He was doing more than wrestling and things got too rough...she'll be checked for sexual abuse and I bet she was.........

What if school hasn't started in that area yet? My brother just went back to school this week, and although it is college, my old university does not start till late september. It could have been a year systems and start later. And who needs to keep saying, "why was she with 16 year old BOYS?" Have you never heard of a babysiter? I know they are normally girls, but my favorite babysiter when I was growing up was a 14 year old boy. She was under supervision from a close family friend. And we dont know the whole story. He could have accidently have killed her by rough housing, then freaked out (because he is 16) and tried to hide the body. Get off your high horse people. Wow your kids went to bed at 8, good for you. I went to bed whenever I felt like it, and nothing bad ever happened to me, and graduating from UCLA with great grades says it didnt mess with my intelligence. So stop judging others.

Oh, and investigators already said that she was not sexually abused.

And we dont give the death penalty to children. Which he is.

People who have nothing better to do than to blame the media for everything, need to learn a little about the law.

Tinycowlady

What is a 5 year old doing up at 11 at night? Why didn't grandma tell her to go to bed at a reasonable time and maybe she wouldn't have had to be around this boy. There is responsibility to be taken by more than the boy who killed her.

What exactly are you doing? Making some kind of an excuse for the POS 16 y/o that killed this little girl? Ya, I'm sure Great Grandma is ecstatic her great grand baby is dead.

What a beautiful child she was. Horrific.

So there's nothing to be learned here Mr. Burns? You think a 16 year old hanging out with a great grandmother and a 5 year old is normal? Is that what you did at 16? And anecdotal stories about your undersupervised upbringing don't make any real points. You could probably walk through the South Bronx with a bag full of money a couple of times and not get robbed--that doesn't mean it's a good idea. No male babysitters. I'm sorry. Men and women are wired differently. And adolescent boys are a mess.

momaid the storey says it was the 16 year old that was there when grandma went to bed eather way what was she thinking.the 16 year old should be draged into public and shot the 18 year old should serve time for tampering with police evidance

IF, You kill my kid, I'll spend the time in jail for a murder charge. I'll feel better, and rid the world of a demented soul.

No, the Great-Grandmother, Mother and anyone else you want to point fingers at are NOT to blame.

The ONLY one to blame is the cretin that murdered this little girl.

Wow...Let's attack the great grandmother for allowing the little girl to stay up past what we deem an appropriate bedtime. Even better yet, let's just say she killed this little angel because she left her with a teenage boy. <sarcasm> Irrational and cold.

You holier-than-thou posters should watch where you step - your pedestal is cracked.

You just don't let 16 year old boys play with little girls unsupervised, more times than not, bad things will happen. While grandma is not an accomplice, she absolutely bears some responsibility.

Globadyne. When I was 16 I didn't know anyone else my age, boy or girl, who would ever dream of doing something like this to a child. This is ABNORMAL. That means it couldn't have been foreseen by normal people. Remember-"Hindsight is always 20/20. Foresight never is." Stop being so judgemental,especially when you don't know the situation or what happened.

Kracked1 I'm a peaceful person. I raised my children by hand. If my boys had encountered a Jerry Sandusky or worse, after a lifetime of watching criminals still enjoy life, I wouldn't think twice about it. If I had to spend the rest of my life in prison, so be it.

No one is going to mess with my children and live to talk about it. I would be able to plead insanity because I would be insane at the time of my children's attackers death. Wouldn't phase me in the least.

If one person needs killing, it is the 16yr old that killed that child.

mary84

John Freeman and he had help hiding her body from Tyler Best. How disgusting. there really are no words for this. It hit extremely close to home as I have 2 kids and I live in Niagara Falls.

REALLY? then do something to clean it up

I am curious as to why none of the trolls are inquiring about the race of the killers (suspects), I was just on another story about a robber in a dollar store getting shot in florida and the wingnuts were freaking out because NBC hadn't said rather the dead robber was white or black. Yet here we have a dead little girl and a couple of young male suspects with decidedly white names and no one seems to care that NBC didn't list the color of their skin. I personally don't care if their skin was polka dot but I am just curious as to where the wingnuts are who lay awake at night worrrying because NBC isn't racist enough to list every person by their race.

If they actually have any interest in CATCHING the suspect they would give a detailed description which can hardly avoid race. Political correctness trumps public safety and justice the way you are thinking

globadyne,

"So there's nothing to be learned here Mr. Burns? You think a 16 year old hanging out with a great grandmother and a 5 year old is normal? Is that what you did at 16? And anecdotal stories about your undersupervised upbringing don't make any real points. You could probably walk through the South Bronx with a bag full of money a couple of times and not get robbed--that doesn't mean it's a good idea. No male babysitters. I'm sorry. Men and women are wired differently. And adolescent boys are a mess."

What messed up fantasy world do you live in? At sixteen I was out partying, but the few times I was with a grandma and child, family friends as well, nothing bad ever happened. And you missed what I said apparently. I was supervised by a great babysitter. Sorry if your sexist hatred of men blinds you. My parents were not as ignorant. I would feel safer with him than someone like you. When I was 16, no one that I knew would ever do that to a child. What if I said no female lawyers, or doctors, etc. Go back to the 19th century and let advanced people talk.

I am curious as to why none of the trolls are inquiring about the race of the killers (suspects),

Probably because most people went to the link provided by one of the earlier posts that showed the photos of the white boys responsible. Does that satisfy you? Geez!

I live in Niagara Falls. The crime here is getting worse and worse and we are starting to look for homes to buy outside of the city.

What a load of hooey. Most of Niagara Falls is great. I've been in it hundreds of times. As in most cities, the downtown urban core is a shabby neighborhood, but once you get past 25th St or so, it's nicer to look at, & so is the tourist attraction area. It certainly has nowhere near the crime rate Buffalo does. That's a fearmongering exaggeration. I've lived in & near both, & managed to get into my 50s w/o becoming a *victim*.

A) WHY was a 5 year old spending a SCHOOL night with her great grandmother. Was this USUAL?

WHY are you constantly typing in ALL-CAPS? Is that USUAL? It's annoying if it is. Just sayin'.

Schl does not start in NY until the Wed after Labor Day [checks calendar]....nope, not Sept yet.

Don't the kids where you live get any summer vacation?

How do you know the child's parents weren't homeschooling?

And B) why on EARTH would said great grandmother go to bed at 11 PM leaving a 5 year old still up and "playing" with two TEENAGERS? Did this child NOT have a 'school night' BEDTIME?

We've already established schl is not in session yet in NY & the kids are still enjoying summer vacation.

The homeschling possibility doesn't really have set hrs; you could give your kid Math lessons at 3am if that's a convenient time for you. The state doesn't care when it's done.

Bedtimes are not mandatory & esp not when on vacation. My kids went to bed at 9pm during the schl yr, 10pm when they hit HS, but during vacation periods they could stay up until their eyes started to fall out or got cranky, whichever happened 1st.

Going to bed & leaving a child or children in the care of a teenager in the same house is what most of us would term *babysitting*.

My younger brother inherited some of my babysitting gigs once I was off to college. My sons did babysitting for their younger cousins.

Boys can babysit. They do it all the time. No one says girls shouldn't babysit when a female babysitter ends up harming a child. It has nothing to do w/ gender & everything to do w/ maturity & mental stability.

Go back & read b4 commenting. Nowhere does it say the little girl was playing w/ *2* teenagers.

It does state that the older boy was called by the 16 yo after she was dead, to help him dispose of her body.

The 17 yo (I'll trust what the local paper says more than I'll trust NBCs shoddy reporting) apparently possessed a conscience & couldn't stand thinking about the poor little girl disposed of in the trash, so he reported it to police. Otherwise they'd still be looking for the girl.

she'll be checked for sexual abuse and I bet she was.........

Another one who rushed to the comments w/o rdg.

She already was checked for *sexual abuse*. They didn't find any.

You just don't let 16 year old boys play with little girls unsupervised, more times than not, bad things will happen.

Most of these types of killings are done by *trusted family or family friends*. It's rarely *stranger danger*. And the reason they make headlines is these types of crimes are not as *common* as ppl seem to think. *Bad things* do not happen *most* of the time.

So what are ppl supposed to do, trust no one? And specifically never trust a male around their children? Don't these kids have fathers & brothers? Are girls now kept segregated from boys?

I am a 57 yr old man, residing in UK, I have no children from my 2 marriages. I DETEST ANY-ONE & EVERY-ONE who harms, abuses or, worse, kills children !!! I WOULD BE THE EXECUTIONER, if the law allowed it, without any qualms @ all. I love kids but NEVER allow myself to be alone with them, I won't even hug them in case I am seen as a pervert, such is the state of society now, which I believe is a sad state of affairs. I am NOT a religious person, but if there IS a 'God', how can this 'being' allow such foul, murderous attacks on innocents ??? Are we not supposed to be the most intelligent species on this planet ??? I DO NOT THINK SO, otherwise we wouldn't do such despicable things, would we !!! My heart goes out to the family of this poor little girl, & hope they get the justice this child deserves - even tho such a thing should NEVER have happened in the first instance.

Imrightnotyou. This young mother has two small children. You think she can cure the criminal cancer that is growing in her community? I grew up in LA and I would have had great success with gang bangers. Great advice. She isn't going to cure immoral people.

It isn't the grandmother's fault that she had a murderer in the house, but I wonder about her judgement. I had a 8pm bedtime until I was probably 10. I have no idea why she would go to bed and leave a 5 year old up at 11pm. My male cousin would babysit me and he was kind of strict. He was 8 years older. Nice guy.

Gotta love the public's perception of teenagers. When a 16-17 year old is involved with a high school teacher, "he's an adult; they were consenting adults." When a 16-17 kills, he suddenly becomes "a child who doesn't deserve the death penalty." So what do we have, a swaggering "man-child" almost old enough to go to college or a "kid barely out of junior-high"? In my opinion, murder is murder and warranting adult punishment, regardless of age.

Wow, who gives a flying f... why she was up late. Not the issue and none of your business. Man, all of you who think it is okay to make ignorant and quite frankly stupid comment keep it to yourself. Again, not the issue!!!!! Oh, by the way it is 8:35 pm in Seattle, so you better get your children to bed or something bad might happen. Depending on your time zone of course.

As this crappy journalist stated he was a friend of the family. No, I am not making an excuse, a reason, or defending this kid (yes I know he is being tried as an adult as he should be, but he is still just a kid nonetheless). The family and grandma probably trusted this guy and we all know that many of the murders that happen are by someone we know and trust.

Bottom line, the only person to be held responsible for her murder is the guy who committed it.

There is no death penalty in New York state. So the maximum he could get is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Which the SCOTUS has not ruled against.

Even if there was a death penalty in New York, you can't sentence a minor to death.

Truly sad.... one very young life lost.. another destroyed, and a remaining lifetime of guilt for the grandmother.

16 year olds are tried as adults all the time.

Oh taxed, come off it. You are just making up things. No one said it was okay for 16 year olds to kill, and yes, they do care about the victim. Could you give them a few minutes to sort it all out and decide what is appropriate? No, guess not.

Just release him in the general population at a prison and let them all know he killed this little girl. They probably won't kill him right away, but he'll wish he was dead.

George, why do people always say this? Between the 1 million+ American men in prison and another 1 million+ in county/city jail, none are angels. More likely, these low IQ trailer trash teen boys will be right in their element and will emerge in a decade to simply also rape and torture some kid before they kill that one.

I couldn't agree with more if I tried I think grandma is just as guilty allowing these grown children around her grandchild without her constant watching what they were up to.

But none of can really throw stones because it could happen to any of us because apparently they were all good friends but again a five (5) year old up at 11:00 P M something smell wrong about this it just does.

Exactly what I was thinking, a 5-year old up after 11:00?

I don't think it is that unusual for a 5 year old to be up till 11p.m. on a weekend night, I hear about the children staying up late on Friday and Saturday nights playing family board games all the time...

Absolutely agree - - a 5-year old should have been in bed way before 11:00 pm. What was the grandmother thinking? Terrible story.

I had the same thought. My heart breaks for the family, but I do feel there was a degree of negligence on their part for leaving the child unsupervised with the teen.

While I agree that the child should not have been up so late, I do disagree that it was negligence leaving the child unsupervised with the teen. He was a close and trusted friend that had been with her unsupervised numerous times. I am sure that they could not imagine that someone close to them and that had trusted with their child numerous times would ever do anything like this. It is a horrible thing but there is no negligence by the family in leaving their child with someone that they felt they could trust due to past history.

When my grand kids stay with me, they are allowed to stay up later then normal. Not sure why you seem to think it was that big of deal or why you would even be concerned.

The issue is a young, beautiful child was murdered. get the @!$%# over the fact she was past your approved bedtime.

rat-tat-tooty,

Its because if these people couldnt judge others, they wouldnt be able to feel good about themselves.

Oh give me a break. First, I remember plenty of late nights during the summer growing up. Going to car races or the drive inn, a parade or.... plenty. What is it with the sundowner thing? Everyone living in a tight little box.

Also, PLENTY of large families have a huge spread in ages. A family of 10 could easily have a 20 year old and an infant. That can include friends that are like family. Just because you're biologically related doesn't mean that they can't do bad things btw.

It was the individual who do this that really deserves the judgement and wrath. How ridiculous! If granny got the kiddy to bed earlier then this individual would never have done that? Wanna bet? Just stupid biddy clucking going on with this blaming gramma and being aghast that a kid was up late on a non-school night. <eyeroll> Little boxes.

I agree with you. These posts are usually made by suburban housewives who follow a book on how to raise perfect children. I live in the surburbs in a development and most of these children are not turning out to be perfect. Actually, I find most of them to have an entitlement complex, self absorbed, lazy and lazy. Some people don't realize that other people may want to raise their children differently. I grew up in Europe and lived in the city. We ate dinner at 9 PM, went for a stroll around 10:30, hang out at the cafe while our parents had coffee and then went to bed by 12 or later. We got up went to school from 10:00 to 5:00 and led a very happy and fulfilled life. Different countries and different people have different standards and just because of book tells you to put the child in bed by 8 or 9 PM, it doesn't mean it fits your lifestyle or your standards. The only person who is guilty of a crime is the teenager, he took someone's else life and then implicated another people. The second teenager should have had enough sense not to help him disposed of the body. Now, he will have to pay for his stupidity with possible jail time.

Ruth,

And these people must have some really good weed since they all seem to have such high horses.

Exactly what I was thinking, a 5-year old up after 11:00?

If you'd bothered to click the link to the local paper's report of the crime that was offered above in a post (& is far superior to NBCs *journalism*), you would have seen that Isabella lived in Cheektowaga, a lg town east of Buffalo & approximately half an hr's drive from 6th St in the Falls. The mother worked in a Niagara Falls bar & had dropped the girl off at Grandma's en route to work. Bars in NY are allowed by the NYS Liquor Authority to be open until 4am.

If Mom has to go to work late hrs, then the child has to adapt to Mom's schedule, even if it means the child is up past what you think is a *proper* bedtime. It's a long drive to work, but ppl do what they have to do to support their families, & Mom likely thought it convenient that Grandma lived just down Pine Ave from the bar's location. For all y'all know, the teen regularly babysat. Just b/c Grandma is *only* 65 doesn't indicate perfect health.

If Mom didn't have a job, y'all would be complaining about her *pumping out babies to get that welfare check*, too, being all gleeful at *your tax dollars* being saved b/c now that the *meal ticket* is dead, Mom would get kicked off public assistance.

[eye roll]

Leaving a helpless 5-year-old girl alone with a 16-year-old boy(s) is insane. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows precisely what he will do.

Do you really think that all 16 year old boys are either pedophiles or murderers who can't be left alone with a 5 year old girl?

As a single mother who worked full time, I let my daughter stay up with me on the weekends because that was the only time I was able to spend more than 2-3 hours with her.

@littlechanges and all the others who keep making comments regarding teenage boys and male babysitters:

Perhaps, since teenage boys and men can not possibly be left alone with a young girl without raping or killing her, we should just lock all men up when they are born?

In case it was missed, this is sarcasm....

Sadly there are women who believe that; after having been psychologically abused by their mothers after a messy divorce, teaching them that all men are scum, etc.

This is off topic, horribly, but if that is a toenail for your avatar, please cut it! Gross.

That's a big fat finger, looks like to me. And some sexy sthilletto's you're wearing, I might add.

:) still looks like a big fat toe with a too long nail on it! gives me chills to look at it!!!

On second thought it does look like a big fat toe. Who knows? It's so fat I can't tell. Eeny meeny miny moe.........LOL! ;)

It seems to common place in that house the child stays up so late but that is so bad something could have happened before and she would have never ever known but this time they went to far.

Seems commonplace for kids to be up at all hours in New York in general. The story some weeks ago about a 4yo shot while playing in a playground after 11 pm and his mother not knowing where he was until it was too late. Do people in NY just decide to not parent their kids anymore? No wonder there are so many messed up teens coming from there.

plork, it also crossed my mind because it happened to me. Does that make me a pervert, too?

Letusreason, clearly states that there was no evidence of sexual assault. To the rest why would you even blame the grandmother, just because you send your children to bed at 7:00 P.M. doesn't mean everyone does. I am sure if the child was in school she would have had an earlier bedtime and would have been home with her mother. The Only one you should be blaming is the child who murdered this little girl period...

WeAllHaveOpinions--You're wrong. He's not the only one to blame. The child was 5, and the parents and guardians have a legal and social obligation to protect the child, even if that means you lose a little sleep. To leave her alone with an unrelated teenage boy is ridiculous. We need to blame people MORE, not less, when these things happen.

globadyne: I missed that part. Where did you see, he was "unrelated"?

At the part where it said 'close and trusted family FRIEND.' Come on now, the article's not that long.

Arizona Tumbleweed

globadyne: I missed that part. Where did you see, he was "unrelated"?

How's your reading comprehension there AT? Maybe you need to come in out of the sun a little more, it's evidently fried what few brain cells you have.

I agree, globadyne, the grandma should have either sent the girl to bed when she herself went or sent the boy home (yes, Arizona, it DID say he was a close and trusted FRIEND, not one of the family and therefore unrelated to the girl). There is no excuse for her not performing her duties as guardian. I ask you weallhaveopinions, would you feel the same about the responsibility of the caregiver if this had been a business care facility and another child in the care center had done this terrible thing? Would it not have been their responsibility to ensure the safety of the child in their care even from another child? You seriously need to grow a brain cell if you don't.

I take it that none of you have ever gone out and left your children alone with a babysitter at any time. Many families leave their children with teenage babysitters that they trust. They trusted him because he has spent unsupervised time with her in the past. I do agree that the child probably should have been in bed at the time but that is neither here nor there. That is not the reason that he killed her and if it was an intentional act he would have done it at anytime (even in the middle of the afternoon) that he was alone with her. Do we put all children in a protective bubble until they reach their majority?

I am not a pervert, but I also would wonder why a 16 year old boy would want to play with a five year old.

Can you honestly say, Donna, that you would leave your 5 year old daughter with a 16 year old male baby sitter? I'll tell you now--as a man with 2 kids--I wouldn't leave my son or daughter with any male babysitter. And certainly not because I wanted to go to bed. Call me sexist, but statistical data regarding sexual crimes and murder don't lie. It ain't teenage girls committing these acts.

And by the way, 'a close and trusted family friend?' OF WHO?? The little girl?? The Great-grandma??

It is ignorant to think that bad things don't happen to kids in the day light and not just 11pm.

It is ignorant to think that because it's a relative, they won't hurt a kid.

It is ignorant to think that only boys commit sex crimes and do bad things and that girls are all safe. (which btw- they did say there was no sexual assault..)

It is ignorant to think that all teens are going to perve out on a kid.

Lot o' ignorance goin' around...

First of all keep it cool, your super-blowhard list is a straw man, because no one made any of the claims you're arguing against.

Second, the killer wasn't a relative, so that goes against your argument.

And third, the point you seem to be attempting to make is that Everything is Everything, and there's nothing anyone can do about any of it. 'Even non-smokers get lung cancer' or 'the high-school dropout who became a millionaire,' etc. Yeah, that's brilliant. Ignore statistics and experience and instinct and just let things happen to you.

And also, each of the points you listed doesn't matter when standing alone, but start to put them together...

globadyne,

If you are a man I think your children need to be checked up on. If you think its anywhere close to normal for teenage boys to do this, you are obviously messed up in the head and probably perverted yourself. People used teenage boys all the time as babysitters. Get your ignorance off the thread.

And did you miss the point where it said there was NO evidence of sexual abuse?

Once upon a time Small children were made to go to bed at a reasonable time as a cultural tradition of doing the best for the children. The other cultural difference in doing right by children was to NEVER allow teenaged boys to be around younger children unsupervised by an adult.

My guess is that the "family" friend tried to make sexual moves to the child and she began to either make of threaten to scream and he strangled her to keep her quiet. In some cultures, strangulation is a privilage reserved for Royalty.

I truly hope the foreinsic department is able to sort out who is really guilty because it would be possible for the guilty party to divert attention to someone else.

The parents are to blame for allowing the teenaged boys access to a small child, female or male. However the perp needs to be castrated immediately and thrown into general population of the Adult prison where some other sexual fantasies may be experienced by him. Eunicks make good companions as the Persians and Egyptians discovered. We really need to consider bringing the custom back.

On the bright side, by Muslim laws, the male perps could have just blamed the Female child as a sinner and been vindicated in the Eyes of Allah as having mercifully sent the temptress to heaven.

Lazarus

larry, although i found most of your comment to make much more sense than many i have read. here i would like to say two things We do not know what happenned yet. i totally agree with much you have said however the so called "muslim laws" you are reffering to do not come from the quran which forbids harm of any creature in any way. please go read it as the authorative and only REAL muslim laws you will therefore find all other perversions of that holy scripture void and untrue ,only written to confuse and cause hate. you seem like an intelligent somewhat read person but please dont spread misinformation.

What is wrong with you people? The story already stated that the perpetrator was a "Trusted" friend of the family. It is not that strange that he and the girl might be playing after the grandmother went to bed.

Yes, that is weird. What kind of 16-year-old boy wants to hang around with a 5 year old girl in the first place? Big, big red flags should have been flying at that one.

At 11PM at night, who lets a 5 year old stay up till 11PM.

I couldn't agree with you more if I tried that should have never ever happened but I guess grandma gave in instead of standing strong and demanding she goes to bad and the visitors leave.

why would a granny allow a16yr old to play with a 5 year old by there self at anytime of day or night!

Sing biker--no matter how close the friend, it was NOT appropriate for Granny to go to bed on a SUNDAY night (and in most places SCHOOL is already in session--was this 5 year old NOT in Kindergarten? Or at least pre-school?) leaving a 5 year old up in the company of two teenagers--EVEN if those teenagers had been GIRLS. Teens are pretty uninhibitted with their use of language when adults are not around, not to mention the inappropriate TV they might have been watching when no longer under Granny's eye.

Granny dropped the ball, majorly, IMO.

Stop judging and start grieving, folks. Do you think the great grandmother doesn't feel worse than she's ever felt in her life? And the grandmother, and the mother too? I just can't imagine their pain.

We don't know what happened, but the last thing we need to be doing is to judge. Why not be supportive and offer some kindness to those who are grieving (the ones you are blaming)?

Leave the judging to the courts.

Might as well just start building prisons next to the trailer park so it'll be a shorter walk.

If you would have read the article, or at least comprehended what you read , it stated that the boy would be tried as an adult. Either way he will not receive the death penalty, the State of New York don't have it and you cant sentence a minor to death.

WEALLHAVE OPINONS: IF this guy is judged as an adult then he is no longer looked at by law as a minor - you can't have it both ways . IF New York had the death penalty he CoULD be sentenced - it has happned before!

That's true, tag. If you're tried as an adult and convicted as an adult, you can be punished as an adult, including execution. weallhaveopinions, if you would have read the article, or at least comprehended what you read, you would have understood that. Not only that, but executions are NEVER EVER carried out right away. Perhaps if you can figure out how to do a google search, or get someone to do it for you and then read it to you, it will enlighten you quite a bit.

The first execution of a minor in the area we now call the United States was in 1642 and since then 365 people have been executed for crimes committed as a minor. Of the 22 of them just since the death penalty was reinstated in 1973 (over half of those in Texas alone), one was 16, the rest 17 at time of conviction and the shortest amount of time from conviction to execution was 6 years. The youngest at the actual time of execution was 23, the oldest 38. That's 21 YEARS that person was fed, clothed, housed at taxpayer expense and they were certainly NOT children and were well aware of their deed and the resulting penalty at the time their sentence was carried out. At the risk of repeating myself, you really should look into that brain cell thing...

usagi, you certainly seem to be judging harshly! In one sentence, you write:

That's 21 YEARS that person was fed, clothed, housed at taxpayer expense and they were certainly NOT children and were well aware of their deed and the resulting penalty at the time their sentence was carried out.

Had you done any research into capital punishment, you would know that capital punishment costs several times more than housing/feeding/caring for a prisoner who receives a sentence of life without parole. For more information about capital punishment, especially the pros and cons of each, you might go to:

http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002000

Even more important than that, there is a demonstrated error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 people executed. Do you want to execute an innocent person? (Note, I'm making no statement about the innocence or guilt of the young men in this case. Rather, on the death penalty/innocent rate per person executed.) Here is a place you might want to look at for more information on the topic of innocent death row inmates:

http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/The_Innocent_and_the_Death_Penalty.php

All in all, it just seems to me that it would be better to leave the judging up to the courts, and--as demonstrated on the two web sites I provided--they too make mistakes, even though they have access to much more information than we "bystanders" have.

new york hasn't had the death penalty since 2004, and in 2005 the supreme court said you can't execute people who were under 18 at the time of the crime (roper v. simmons). there might have been juvenile offenders sentenced to death in ny before the supreme court's ruling, but ny hasn't had the death penalty since then for anyone.

Truth be told, if it was't for the fact there are hundreds of thousands of Bubbas smacking their lips in prisons across the U.S., I would have offed a few people myself.

...I'm just sayin...

Now, as far as killing a little child, that's something different, IMO.

As far as the 2 responsible for this, I see Bubba smacking his lips... I will never understand how people can kill another person.

The friend just helped hide the body, and then immediately went to the police afterwards.

This kid was obviously a "budding" psychopath" you put it. He would have killed eventually, he was just waiting for the opportunity. The fact that the body has no evident of sexual assault means nothing. He probably tried to perform a sexual act or asked the little girl to perform a sexual act and if the little girl told him she would tell, he felt he had to kill her to stop her from telling anyone.

The voice of reason right there, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Arizona are you high? he was in a tough spot???? John went up to him "so i killed a kid, lets hide the body" Tyler was in a tough spot?????????? NO! He should have said NO and called the police immediately. Since he did tell the cops eventually after the family had been scared @!$%#less, running around searching for her it does not make it ok. He should have called right then and there because at 18 years old, you know right from wrong so he deserves to rot in jail and burn in hell just as much as the other ruthless dip@!$%# that was involved. ugh makes me sick!!!!!!!!!

Arizona I was thinking the same thing. I was wondering if threats had been made, maybe the friend who helped hide the body was afraid of the 16 year old.

The oldest boy did not kill the child. His friend might have called him up with a sob story about how she hit her head or something. No matter what the younger boy said, Best was probably frantic, in shock, and helped hide her. And THEN, his conscience got the better of him and he then LED THE POLICE to the body. He is only being charged with tampering with evidence. It's bad, and he was a stupid kid but everyone makes mistakes. And that's what his part was, a mistake. Which he did all in his power to try and fix.

Don't judge the one that showed he at least had a heart and some morals. Especially without knowing all the facts. We, as an audience are often way to quick to judge.

Gauchie--You know, we only have one cop's speculation that Best's CONSCIENCE got the better of him.

Or even that anything more happened here than, say, the 16 year old and the 5 year old were rough-housing, and she fell off the couch and landed wrong and broke her neck. We don't KNOW.

You are right, we are quick to judge, when all the facts are not in.

Bottom line, MO, accident or not, grandma should have never allowed this situation to be in place for this to have happened at all. NEVER!

What if he said no? Do you think Freeman would just allow him to go and obviously go to the police? Desperate people do desperate things. We know nothing of the scenario of where Freeman asked Tyler for help.

John went up to him "so i killed a kid, lets hide the body" Tyler was in a tough spot?????????? NO!

Seriously?

Your friend just tells you he committed a murder....are you going to say *no* to him, knowing he has the capacity to kill another human being & has just done so?

Tyler gets the call....if that was your best friend, would you want to believe they had just killed a sm child w/o seeing the evidence w/ your own eyes? So he goes over to the crime scene, probably thinking he's being pranked.

Maybe John had that bat@!$%# crazy light in his eyes & scared Tyler. Maybe John was high on something. Maybe John threatened to kill Tyler if he wouldn't help him out disposing of the body. Maybe John threatened to kill himself.

You have no idea what went on after John dragged Tyler into this mess.

*Friends help friends hide the bodies* is just a T-shirt slogan. Obviously there was some element of fear in it for Tyler if he went along w/ helping John, but then just a few hrs later was showing the police where the body had been left. Maybe Tyler had to wait for John to come down off whatever he was on or fall asleep b4 feeling like the cops could be called. Maybe Tyler tried to talk John into calling the cops himself & failed.

You don't know jack about what happened.

I'm telling you, if I was standing over a little girl's corpse w/ her killer on the opposite side, I'd be thinking maybe now is not the best time to whip out my cell phone & call 911. B/c if he can kill once, he can kill again. That little girl was supposedly a *friend*, too.

It was one kid that killed the girl. The older one helped hide the body - after the fact. It's hard to put a friend in that position. Ultimately, the older one did the right thing in leading the authorities to the place they took her.

wow friendship trumps moral compass. I guess that will be the defense, "uh duh, your honor I was just being a good friend."

Robert to an 18 year old kid yes, he could have been scared of what the other would have done. He had just killed a five year old child. And Carol way to go in putting the blame on the grandmother, people like you sicken me.

Of course the eighteen year old "child" was afraid. They usually are when they are alone.

I thought in the other article they said Best was 17. Anyway, when I was that age...if some creepy, scary, acquaintance killed someone and asked me to help hide the body...uh, I would totally help hide the body and then go tell when I was safely away from him. I would be terrified NOT to hide the body...he killed the girl with his bare hands...scary scary stuff. Best is a child whether he is 17 or 18...you can tell it in his photo. Was it immoral of him...sure...but my money is on the poor kid being threatened and terrified and horrified at the whole situation...and so he helped so that he wasn't a victim too.

All factors to be sure, as I said in an above post that area is far from Camelot.

Robert-1319721, Better question is why your alive and she isn't .....

A lot of bad behavior by kids could be avoided if grand/parents stepped up to the plate, took some responsibility, and made rules for them to follow w/o bitching. By 11pm, Freeman should have been shown the door & sent home, and the girl be put to bed. PERIOD. Adults need to act like adults and not let little kids and teens run the household like bratty dictators. Doesn't matter if you live in a low-income trashy 'hood where crime is rampant. Grow some balls and do the right thing, and fewer kids will be shot in drive-by's or murdered in the living room by psychopaths with no adult supervision.

It' s no contest to kill a child! What a coward!

Isn't that what you are proposing? He's only 16.

Look, if this guy did it, burn him. But we have a criminal process for a reason. Maybe it was an accident and he panicked and hid the body. Maybe she had a seizure or aneurysm and he thought it was something he did. Maybe his friend did it and turned his buddy in instead. Maybe it was a third person who is blackmailing the two boys. Yes, all of this may sound improbable, but it is possible and we don't know enough to rule other things out without more evidence. Besides, this entire event is so surreal and hyperbolic. Is suggesting that there might be more to this than what has been released to and by the press this early on really that ridiculous? He was a trusted friend with no known motive. You can't tell me there isn't something important we don't know. This is the reason why we have a judicial system that is methodical and pedantic. Because if there is one thing that is worse than one dead innocent child, it's two dead innocent children. Let's not be the angry mob that participates in that.

Some of the trolls posting here think it was ok to help the killer dump the body in a trash can becausw he was his so called friend, these trolls make me want to vomit.

No one is justifying it, only offering possible reasons. It IS beyond disgusting to help someone hide a little girl's body. This goes without saying. What I think most people try to do is put themselves in the other person's shoes and see if they can relate to the rationale behind it. I couldn't imagine killing a little girl but helping to find a place to put the body so I can tell the police exactly where she's at? Possibly... IF that was the reason he helped.

I have some friends that I would risk my life for and possibly my freedom. So, in THAT respect I can relate. The rest, I can't.

You don't think adrenaline had anything to do with it? Yeah, Best was a dumb kid. And yes, everyone would like to think they would do things differently. But you are assuming that the younger kid admitted to purposefully killing the girl. What if he said it was an accident? There are plenty of people who hide accidental deaths becasue they are terrified of getting arrested. Best probably was terrifed, in shock, adrenaline pumping, scared of getting caught with a dead body now that his jacka** friend has brought him into it. And then he tried to right his wrong. You can say how you would react all you want. Obviously, not everyone has as good of character as you do, Robert.

And you know the thoughts of a predator how?

A few episodes of SVU I'd wager...