Professor Jenny Carroll told the Associated Press the case of the 8-year-old boy who was charged with murder in juvenile court may be challenging because of the boy’s age.
Birmingham police say Katerra Marsha Lewis, 26, and a friend left the 8-year-old boy to watch over five younger children while the women went to a nightclub. The boy beat Kelci Lewis to death last month when she wouldn’t stop crying and placed her back in her crib as if she were asleep, police said.
In many jurisdictions, children under the age of 10 or 12 are presumed not to have the capacity to form criminal intent and have difficulty understanding court proceedings, Carroll said.
“We recognize that children don’t have the same thought processes and don’t have fully developed decision-making processes at that age,” said Carroll, who has represented juvenile offenders.
For more, read “Mom of Slain Alabama Infant Disputes Allegations.”